Everlasting Sunset
by Pupskt
Summary: Ever wonder what would happen if Edward was the human and Bella was the vampire? Edward's blood is almost impossible for Bella to resist, and Edward is mesmerized by her immortal beauty. What challenges will they face together, with reversed roles?Review!
1. Prologue

Prologue

A century is a long time to be alone.

A long time to watch the world's feats and failures occur.

A long time to learn, study and peruse.

A long time to observe tales of lovers and happy endings.

But when you are destined to exist forever, it is rather difficult to find that happy ending. Especially if you're alone.

To me, a happy ending is finding your other half. Someone you're incomplete without.

A happy ending doesn't necessarily mean the end. Not for someone like me, whose life doesn't have a time limit. No, a happy ending is creating a new beginning with someone you would rather die than be without. Someone who holds the key to your heart—whether it beats or not.

I haven't gotten my happy ending. And I'm starting to believe that I never will. It's too late for me. I've been fated to this life of thirst and darkness. As for the others of my kind, they have already found their happy ending. But it happened to them a long time ago. I'm stranded in the middle of this fate. The only other inhumanly strong force that exists on this planet is what is pushing me back. I didn't have a name for this force. All I know is that it is stronger than I am, and it won't allow me to a happily ever after, let alone, an after.

Now I face another hundred years of feats and failures, of education and study, and of happy endings besides my own.

Another hundred years of sunny days and endless nights.

Another hundred years of sunrises and sunsets...


	2. Possessed

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Don't sue me!!!!!!!!

Chapter One

Possessed

Forks High School. Even the name depressed me. The gloomy atmosphere didn't help, either. But my family didn't have a choice.

The immense amount of greenery would have given me a headache, if such a thing were possible. My family and I had lived here for two years. Forks had provided us a convenient place to live. It was rarely sunny. Not much happened in this small town—everybody knew everybody, meaning everybody knew us. The mysterious Cullens, with the pale skin and the golden eyes. With my given advantage, I was clarified that nobody suspected what we were. Although, if I did catch a glimpse of someone's thoughts indicating that they had an idea of what we really were, we would have to leave and never return. We had to do that in the past—leave the suspecting humans with their own assumptions.

We were just pulling into the school parking lot in Emmett's big jeep. The car was a bit conspicuous for Forks. We all piled out, and Emmett pointed out how Alice was almost as tall as his umbrella as he opened it up and pulled Rosalie underneath it with him, shielding themselves from the rain. Jasper and Alice followed them, and I strode behind them, not minding the raindrops wetting my hair.

The inside of Forks High School was decorated with dozens of posters promoting different clubs and activities. I inhaled, and felt the burning sensation in the back of my throat for a brief moment. Ah, it had been a mistake to skip hunting with Emmett and Alice yesterday. Being in a classroom crowded with humans wasn't going to make it any more comfortable. Oh well. It wasn't as if I hadn't had to deal with it before.

I was a vampire. I had been one for the past ninety one years.

The sudden wave of fire I felt in my throat was no shock to me as I entered the classroom full of innocent children. That was my punishment for not having hunted yesterday.

I took my usual seat in the back corner of the classroom, and pondered through the human's minds out of pure boredom.

_Dang it! Left my math book at home..._

_I wonder if Ricky will be mad if I cancel our plans tonight..._

_Good thing I left early this morning. Mr. Mathews would kill me if I was late again..._

Sometimes I found it rather funny how humans believed they had so much to worry about. Most of their biggest concerns were the outfit they were planning on wearing the following day or the video game they had to play after school. If someone had told them there was a vampire in the room...who knows what their reactions would have been.

Of course, my family wasn't like that. We only fed on the blood of animals. Vegetarians, we called ourselves. Animal blood wasn't anything compared to human blood, but it was the closest we could be to "normal", without having to be murderers.

English class went by slowly. It was a lesson that I'd been taught thousands of times. Perhaps I knew it myself more than Mr. Mathews did.

The rest of the day dragged on. During all my classes, I was making plans for the future. By the time we'd moved out of Forks, perhaps I could pretend to be a different age. Older than seventeen, older than a high school student. The repetitive days weren't making my pointless existence any more meaningful.

I was still thinking of this when I entered my last class, biology. I was one of the first ones there, naturally. I took my sat in my assigned seat as all the other children entered, talking and laughing. I exhaled a dull, but still burning breath, eager for the school day to be over with.

Just as the bell rang, two students entered the room, one carrying a slip of paper with teacher's signatures on it, the other, Mike Newton, acting as his guide. The boy walked up to the teacher, where a fan sat behind her desk, on the highest setting. As the boy stepped in front of it, I gasped, throwing my hand over my mouth.

In all my existence, I had never smelled blood this sweet.

The raging fire burned in my throat, the most painful it had ever burned.

I would have to kill this boy. There was no doubt in my mind I would have to. I couldn't, however, do it here, not in front of all these children. Killing him now would mean I would have to kill them to. Then, my family would surely have to leave.

But my family wasn't an issue right now. I needed his blood. It was instinctive for me to crave it, and I did. I had never wanted to taste a human's blood so much in my life.

I groaned internally as the boy sat in the seat next to me.

This was it. This human was going to die. As would all the other students in this classroom. They could be easily dealt with—I could probably slam each of their heads with enough force to crack their skulls before this boy even had a chance to gasp. I would then come back to him—this demon boy who was going to ruin everything my family had worked for in a matter of seconds. The boy wouldn't have time to scream. It would be that quick.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the boy glance over to me, as if to introduce himself. The possessed look on my face probably was what deterred him, because he instantly turned his head from me. The sudden movement caused the air to blow his scent into my direction. I stopped breathing. Holding my breath was not as unbearable as inhaling this boy's scent.

The name on his slip of paper read Edward Masen. Ah, so it was Edward who was going to break my record of having not drank a human's blood for eighty years. He was a new student, obviously. Why did he have to come here? Out of every town, out of every state, why Forks, Washington? The one place where a coven of vampires could come out during the day without having to worry about people realizing they were different. And him, of all people, whose blood smelled particularly mouth-watering to one of those vampires. Whatever bad luck Edward Masen carried with him, it would cost him his life.

My hands gripped the edges of my seat, daring to make fingertip-shaped dents. I loosened my grip, although the possibility of being exposed by indenting the chair was not as horrible a danger as the fact that I was about to jump up and sink my teeth into Edward's neck.

His blood...warm and wet...pulsing within his body...how good the sweet taste of it would be in my mouth as I slowly sucked the life out of him. Then, I would have to murder all the innocent children in the classroom.

The scent still lingered in my throat, even though I wasn't breathing. It would be so easy...I would simply have to stand up and sink my teeth into his thin layer of flesh. And my thirst that I had ignored the previous day would be long forgotten, and my eyes would shine with bright gold from having satisfied my thirst. I just had to stand up...and lean in...and Edward's life would be over. The scent was overwhelming, now. Resisting seemed incomprehensible. I scooted my chair back, and stood up, my eyes on my prey. It would be a matter of milliseconds now...and I would taste his sweet, warm blood—

The dinging alarm of the bell snapped me out of my possessed state. Just as students were getting their books together, I realized what I was about to do. Without thinking, I grabbed my belongings and darted out of the room, a bit too fast for a human. I headed straight for the parking lot, focusing on reaching my destination. One distraction, and I would be back in that biology classroom in less than a second, and Edward's life would be over.

I swung open the driver's side of the car door, pulling my spare key out of my pocket. I waited impatiently for my family, gripping the steering wheel so hard that my white knuckles were turning even whiter.

Alice, probably having seen my endurance in biology, was the first one in the car.

_Are you okay?_ She asked mentally, truly concerned.

"No," I muttered, taking my first breath in an hour.

The others eventually made it to the car, all noticing my odd attitude. I was driving before they had a chance to sit down.

_Whoa, what's **your** problem?_ Rosalie asked me from her mind, in her inconsiderate way, naturally.

I ignored her.

"Hey, uh, Bella? Don't break my steering wheel. I kinda need it," Emmett warned. His thoughts were asking me what was wrong, but I couldn't find my voice. I did, however, loosen my grip on the wheel.

We made it back home in five minutes, although normally it was a ten minute drive. I hadn't been paying attention to the speedometer.

My siblings piled out of the car, but I stayed in, ready to speed to the hospital to talk to Carlisle. I couldn't stay here. I had to leave Forks, and never come back. Not while Edward Masen was here, anyway. Not only was he causing me physical pain...but he was chasing me from the ones I loved, too.

I was about to take off again, once I was sure all of my siblings had gotten out of the car. I started up the engine again, and I jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"_Alice_!" I breathed. She was in the backseat, anger and sadness making her thoughts incoherent.

"And just where do you think _you're_ going?!" She demanded.

I sighed. I should have known Alice would have seen my decision to leave. With her future-seeing abilities, she had probably seen the occurrences in biology before they actually occurred.

"I have no choice, Alice. I can't stay here." I turned around to face her as I spoke.

Her eyebrows knitted. "Bella, you can't leave! Think of _Esme_! Think of how it would hurt her."

I hadn't considered that. My adopted mother had favored me as her adopted daughter in our family, and the reason for that I would never know. I would hurt her. But it would hurt her even more if I ruined everything for us by staying.

"Tell her I said I'm sorry. But I have to leave. You saw what happened."

"Yes," Alice said, thinking of her vision of me in biology...except for my head was buried in Edward's neck. I was killing him. I had gotten that close...

"Alice, _stop_!" I yelled. This surprised me. I hardly ever yelled at my favorite sister, my best friend. "Don't you see that this is the exact reason why I _have_ to leave!"

Alice thought for a moment, trying to think of a reason for me to stay. She couldn't.

She sighed. "Please, Bella. You don't have to go to school. I'll help you come up with an excuse...just, _please_. Stay."

I shook my head. "I'm sorry." It was too risky to have me in the same town as Edward Masen. With his luck, he'd probably be in the wrong place at the wrong time...

_I'll really miss you_. The voice in her head was sad.

I sighed, and leaned over the front seat and wrapped my arms around her, and kissed her spiky hair in a sisterly gesture.

"You'll come back, right?" Alice asked, hopeful.

I shrugged. "I don't know."

"You have to. You can't stay away forever, Bella. That would really disappoint Esme and Carlisle." She reminded me. _And me_, she added in her head.

I nodded. "I'll figure this out. I promise." It was the least I could do.

Alice nodded, with her arms still locked around my shoulders. "Where will you go?"

I thought for a moment. I hadn't actually decided that. The Denali coven up in Alaska was always a possibility...and Scarlett, my vegetarian friend in Chicago. In a snap decision, I decided upon Scarlett. She was a nomad, but she and I had become friends over the years.. Not as close as Alice and I, but she would be happy if I joined her for a while nevertheless.

"Chicago. I'll pay a visit to Scarlett."

Alice finally let go of me. "Alright. Well, have fun, I guess. Tell Scarlett I said hello."

I nodded. "I will. Please, apologize to everyone for me, Esme especially. If there was any way I could stay..." There wasn't.

"I will," Alice agreed. And I'm sorry if I made you feel bad about it. She added mentally. I can't imagine what you went through back there.

I sighed, trying to get Edward's scent out of my mind.

Alice got out of the car, waved sadly, and then darted up the driveway and into the garage.

I sped out of the driveway without having to think twice about it.

Forks Hospital was only one floor, and I knew where my father's office was. I entered the sliding doors, and the woman at the front desk recognized who I was, and let me pass to my father's office.

He was sitting at his desk filing out some paper work when I entered.

"Ah, Bella," he said, happy to see me there, yet confused. "What are you doing here?"

My tone was serious. "I have to leave, Carlisle. I'm sorry."

"Pardon me?"

I then proceeded to tell him my horror story of how close I had come to committing murder in class today. His thoughts were surprised, but his face remained composed.

"If that's you must do," he said when I told him I had to leave Forks. "By all means. Don't worry about Esme, she'll understand."

I nodded. "Thanks."

"Do you want to take my car?" He asked. It has a full tank of gasoline, he informed me.

I nodded. "Thank you."

Carlisle put his hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry things have to be this way, Bella. You, of all people, don't deserve this."

I sighed. Carlisle was so compassionate, so understanding. Carlisle was right. I didn't deserve this. His compassion was much more than I deserved.

"I'm sorry too, Carlisle."

He shook his head. "Don't be sorry, my daughter. Things will turn out for the best, I assure you."

I had known Carlisle would not judge me for being a coward—for allowing one weak, insignificant human chase me from the place where I was now desperate to say. It was because he loved me, as any father loves his daughter.

_You'll do whatever you think is right,_ my father thought as I left his office. _I have faith in you._

If only I could be the person he thought me to be. Not a monster, unable to control my thirst. But a person who deserved happiness. A person, very much like Carlisle himself, who could resist the temptation.

If I could only be that person.


	3. Silent Mind

Chapter Two

The windy city of Chicago was an oddly inviting place, with its still frozen spring and gloomy sky. I drove through the busy traffic, knowing exactly where I was headed. Carlisle's car was smooth, fast. It had been a good idea to call Alice, and ask her exactly where Scarlett was staying. I hadn't considered the fact that I hadn't known that when I had sped out of Forks.

Edward Masen's scent still lingered in my mind. It still made my throat burn, and it always would, no matter how many miles I put between us. I was relieved for having left Washington without saying goodbye to my family. Having Alice and Carlisle know about my weakness was worse enough. What did they think of me? I was the second strongest in our family—right behind Carlisle. I hadn't recalled feeling so uncontrolled since I was a newborn. It was like I was repeating the phase all over again.

Scarlett's hotel room on the top level of the hotel, and I grew unbearably impatient as the elevator slowly lifted me up to the floor. I knocked on the door, and less than a second later, she answered it, probably realizing that it was no human waiting at the door.

"Bella!" She exclaimed as she swung the door open, and wrapped her arms around me.

"Hi, Scarlett," I greeted, trying to sound enthusiastic. I suddenly felt guilty for using Scarlett. Of course I wouldn't be here if Edward Masen hadn't unconsciously decided to terrorize my life. Scarlett was under the impression that I had made the long journey out here to visit a friend.

"Come in, come in," she beckoned, pulling me into her luxurious hotel room and shutting the door behind us. "What on earth are you doing here?" She asked me, her golden eyes wide.

I knit my eyebrows. "Aren't I allowed to visit an old friend?" I questioned, trying to hide the truth behind my teeth. Even as a vampire, I was a horrible liar.

Of course, Scarlett didn't look convinced. "Seriously, Bells. I_ know_ you would have brought Alice with you if it were merely a social visit," she pointed out accusingly. _What's wrong?_ She asked me silently.

I sighed, taking a seat on the unmade bed. "I'm sorry, Scarlett. I wish I was in a happier mood for you. I didn't come here to bombard you like this, but I needed to get away."

_Get away?_ She thought, sitting next to me on the lumpy bed.

I curled up into a ball, and rested my chin on my knees. I tried to think of a way to tell her without making her assume I was weak, just as my family probably did.

_What's going on?_ Scarlett questioned in her mind, impatient.

I took a deep breath. "There's this boy..." I started. "Edward Masen."

"Uh oh," Scarlett interjected. "Not boy troubles. _Anything_ but _that!_" She then started giggling.

I laughed, but it was agonized. As if I could ever have feelings for Edward Masen, besides hatred.

"No, no. Scarlett, this boy, he...his blood...is the strongest, most..._appealing_ scent I've ever smelled. I almost killed him in the middle of a classroom full of children..." I explained, and I cringed as I remembered the amazing smell and the torturing fire.

"Oh..." Scarlett mused, her mind absorbing the information. She thought for a moment, and a though appeared in her mind. Not one directed to me intentionally, but I still heard it nevertheless.

_Was he cute?_

I growled. "Scarlett, that's not the _point_!"

Of course, I hadn't expected Scarlett to be that sympathetic—she was more for making jokes to cheer someone up. In this particular case, however, jokes weren't going to fix anything.

"Sorry, sorry..." she muttered. "So, like, what happened? You got a whiff of him and that was that? You just wanted to go after him? Come on, Bella. Your record is almost as clean as _Carlisle's_." She was wondering if I was lying to her.

I wished that I was.

"Scarlett...I've never wanted a human's blood so much in my life. I almost ruined _everything_ for my family. He was so close to me...and I went as far as standing up. I was so close to killing him. Luckily the bell rang just in time. And...I _can't_ go back, Scarlett."

She thought for a moment, trying to come up with reasonably good advice. "Well, you can stay with me as long as you need to. But, you know your family will miss you. I wouldn't make permanent decisions quite yet, Bella."

Scarlett did, in fact, know my family. Carlisle and I had met her before we encountered Esme, and had asked her to join our coven, seeing that she was a vegetarian vampire, too. She had politely refused. She liked being on her own, free to roam wherever she pleased.

"I know. I've already hurt my family enough, and I don't want to push their pain any farther."

_You know,_ Scarlett thought, deciding this might be good advice for me; _one less human may not make that much of a difference..._

"_No_," I snapped. As tempting as it was...I couldn't. I would cause my family stress. We would definitely have to leave then. I didn't even want to think about Rosalie's reaction. She wanted to stay in Forks to finish high school...

"Bella, _seriously_! I think you're entitled to _one _human--"

"_No_, Scarlett," I snapped again. I would not give in. Of course, this was easier said than done.

"Sorry," she muttered defensively. _Just trying to help_, she added wordlessly.

I sighed, now more disgusted with myself than ever. "I know. I'm so sorry. I know I'm being monstrously rude. I'll leave. I'm sure you don't need this right now." I got up, and started to walk towards the door. I would go someplace else...where I couldn't hurt or merely annoy anyone.

"Bella!" She grabbed my wrist, and I couldn't break free of her impossible strength. "Don't be ridiculous. I want you to stay. Come on," she insisted, pulling me back into the room.

_Take a chill pill, Bells!_ she thought.

I couldn't help but smile.

"Now, we're going to rent movies, and forget about this absurd_ Edward Masen_. At least for tonight." Scarlett smiled widely, her white teeth gleaming. "We'll have a slumber party!"

I raised my eyebrows, but smiled anyway. This was to be a long evening.

Despite the impossible dilemma I had been faced with earlier today, and even though I had no idea what my next step would be, Scarlett and I watched girly movies, just as any teenage girls would. It did feel kind of ridiculous, but I should have felt used to it by now, what with having Alice as a sister.

Naturally, we didn't need sleep. Scarlett spent the majority of the night talking about her existence as a nomad, travelling from one place to another as she pleased. Scarlett seemed to be very comfortable living this life, as a travelling vegetarian. Although, she did mention that she cheated every once in a while, when she happened to inhale a human's scent that was too good for her to resist. I felt kind of bitter about that fact, considering I was torturing myself, trying to stay away from a human whose scent was impossible for me to resist. Then again, Scarlett didn't have a family to think of, let alone a coven, so any exposure wasn't an issue. She could easily venture to a new destination, while my family preferred to stay in places for the longest amount of time possible.

It had been a while since I had seen Scarlett—twenty years. I noticed she had somehow changed over the years; she seemed more spontaneous now. Almost too spontaneous...as if she didn't have a care in the world. As if humans were nothing to her...just good-smelling organisms that roamed around. This made me question why she had dedicated her existence to animal blood, when she seemed to have no problem telling me that sometimes animals weren't enough.

"Bella? It's Alice. I know you think that just because you _totally ditched us_ because of some _human _that it makes you special enough to ignore my phone calls. But it really doesn't. It would be _really great_ if you would pick up your phone. I've called you sixty seven times in the past week. You have to come home. We all miss you and want you to come back. Rosalie is a lousy shopping partner, and Emmett is so bored that he's decided to take it out on my height. Esme and Carlisle are going crazy with worry for you. Please, come home. We all need you back. Don't worry; I'll help you figure this whole thing out. Just come back to Forks.

_End of message_, the automated voice informed me.

I sighed, pressing the end button on my cell phone. Yes, this was exactly the sixty seventh time Alice had called me within the last seven days. The fifteenth since I had gone hunting—yesterday. I felt unbearably guilty for not returning her pleading calls, but what she was asking of me was pure insanity. More or less, going back would drive me insane. I would not end Edward Masen's life simply by giving in to my own weakness.

But I did miss my family. More than they could ever comprehend. Alice, particularly, just thought I was being over-cautious. But not one member of my family, not even Jasper, who found it the most difficult to resist humans, knew how I felt. They didn't know the scorching flame in my thought every time I even thought of Edward.

No matter how much pain I caused them by leaving, it was nothing compared to how much pain and stress I would cause them by staying.

As of now, Scarlett and I were just walking into her hotel room just after having taken advantage of the first rainy day since I had arrived. We had gone shopping. Luckily, Scarlett wasn't as avid a shopper as Alice. With Alice, shopping was a marathon, and any human would be worn out by the end of the day. Scarlett, on the other hand, was in no hurry. We had talked and laughed as we peered into each shop, and tried on some of the most ridiculous clothing items. I had never been a huge fan of shopping, but shopping with easygoing Scarlett was more tolerable then critical Alice.

"So, Alice left another message?" Questioned Scarlett, although she'd already heard the whole message just as clearly as I had. I threw the plastic bags of my new clothes onto the bed.

I nodded. "Yeah."

_Alice really misses her_...Scarlett mused. "Not that I _want _you to go," she started causually, "but do you think you'll ever head back?"

I shrugged. "I really don't know, Scarlett. Figuring that out is on my to-do list."

_I think you would be able to overcome this._ "I think you should go home."

I sighed. "But what if it's the wrong thing to do? What if something happens?"

"You may just be alright," Scarlett said. "You did sit through a whole hour without peril..."

"Scarlett, it's not like it was that _easy_!" I breathed.

"I never said it would be easy. What part of this life is? I mean, just try. Go back, and if it doesn't work out, you can come always come back here. I mean what have you got to lose?"

I raised my eyebrows at her.

"Okay...so maybe you'd rather _not_ kill this boy...Just listen to what I'm saying." She flopped down onto the bed. "Well, you've made it pretty clear that you don't want to give in to your thirst. I mean, look at you. You came halfway across the country simply to protect one insignificant human boy. I think that maybe...maybe that because of the fact that you don't want to kill him, I really don't think you could. Maybe your determination will overpower your thirst."

I thought about that for a moment. My mind strongly doubted that. My craving—Edward Masen's blood in particular—seemed to be in my every thought. Just thinking about the warm liquid that flowed throughout his body engulfed my throat with unbearable heat. Being back in Forks, in that small room right next to Edward—it was unimaginable. My heart, on the other hand, my silent, unbeating heart, wanted to take Scarlett's advice. I wanted to return to Forks and be with my family, where I belonged. My heart was telling me that I could handle this. That somehow, Edward Masen would live without being in danger of me.

But which to listen to?

"Scarlett..." I stammered. "I honestly don't know what to do."

She smiled. "Go back, then. You know you want to."

"Of course I do."

"Then _go_! Esme and Alice will be so happy. And I know you can handle this Edward-kid. You can totally handle this."

I then hugged Scarlett, hoping she was right.

Bellabellabellabellabella!" Cried Alice the second I pulled into the garage and cut the engine. She swung open the driver door and wrapped her tiny arms around me in that same second.

I would never be able to admit how much I had missed my sister. Having been gone a week without knowing when I would see her again made me realize how lucky I was to get to see her every day.

I hugged her back. "Hi, Alice."

"_Bella_! You're back!" Esme's motherly voice rang like bells, the most welcoming sound I could ask for.

I slid past Alice and greeted Esme, who threw her arms around my neck.

"You will _never_ leave again!" She scolded me.

"I'm sorry, Esme."

She kissed my forehead. "Don't worry about anything, sweetheart. We'll talk about everything later."

I was then bombarded by Emmett, who picked me up and practically swung me over his shoulder in a bear hug. He then accused me of having _boy troubles_, very much like how Scarlett had teased me.

After the family reunion, we all sat at the long dining room table which was used to keep up the human facade and meetings as important as this one.

"So, Bella, what _exactly_ do you plan on doing? You've made it clear that you can't handle going to school. Are you determined to just waste away at home, hiding from a pathetic, little _human_?" Rosalie demanded the second we sat down.

Carlisle gave her a stern look, not appreciating the fact she had spoken just as he had been about to.

Rosalie had not been quite as thrilled to see me as the others had. Actually, she had been hoping I stayed in Chicago. It wasn't as if she didn't want me as a sister, but she would rather I suffer then herself. She didn't want to have to leave Forks. She wanted to stay as long as possible, and my attraction to Edward's blood was not helping her goal.

"Rosalie, please be silent for a moment," Carlisle instructed. "Now, we all are aware that it will be difficult for Bella to remain in Forks. But, I would appreciate it if everyone would show kindness, considering Bella is stronger than all of you." He stared at Rosalie. She ignored him.

"Now, Bella, if school's going to be an issue, I'm sure I can find a way--"

"No, Carlisle." I cut him off. "I'm going to attempt to go to school. Now that I know what to expect, it may not be as hard."

"Are you sure, Bella?" Carlisle asked, his eyes narrowed.

"Because I will _never_ forgive you if you ruin this for us," Rosalie reminded me.

I knew she was being honest.

"I promise," I stated, trying not to let Rosalie's aggressive thoughts get to me, "If I can't handle it tomorrow, I'll leave school. I'll fake sick or something. I will not ruin anything for us."

_You better not_. Rosalie warned me in her mind.

"We know you'll be fine, honey," Esme comforted, putting her hand on top of mine from across the table.

"I'll be fine," I said aloud, but it wasn't only my family I was trying to assure.

Biology was my last class of the day. It had haunted me for the past six hours, and I had almost convinced myself to forget it, just leave school and never come back.

Although, I had taken precautions. I had gone hunting after our family meeting, and so I wouldn't be as thirsty as I had been the first time I'd encountered Edward's blood. I now felt uncomfortably full, but I doubted that would dull the pain in my throat when I inhaled the scent of my science partner.

The bell rang, and I trudged to biology. My eyes were wide in fear, and some of the passing students around me were thinking I was sick. I tried my best to block their thoughts out. They had no idea how sick I really was.

I was the first one in the classroom. I sat down in my seat, taking deep breaths of fresh air before he came. I would have to hold my breath for the full hour. That would be more endurable then inhaling flames.

I cut off my breathing mid-breath, for I could smell Edward from down the hallway. Already, the aroma hit me like a ton of bricks, causing me to grip the edge of my seat. He entered the room, completely intoxicating me. I didn't look at him as he sat down next to me. I was not breathing at all now. The fire in my throat from having breathed in the scent a moment ago was getting worse as I remembered it. I looked over at Edward, trying to decipher how a human could have such a sickeningly wonderful scent. He didn't turn. I had probably made him uncomfortable the first day a week ago, the way I was staring at him, trying to avoid killing him. He certainly thought I was possessed, even know. Although, I did have more control over myself. I was not thinking of ways to lure him out of the room so I could kill him. I was simply trying to deal with the flames in my throat.

Mr. Varner proceeded to start class. We were to work on the worksheets that were already on our desks with our lab partners.

I would have to interact with this human. Meaning I would have to speak to him, meaning I would have to breathe. I would have to...

"Hello, my name is Edward Masen."

I jerked my head so I could face him, and I struggled to open my mouth, and take a breath to speak.

"Bella Cullen," I sputtered out.

His scent was maddening. It only took that strong of an inhale for me to want to put my teeth into his neck.

He nodded, smiling a little. I couldn't smile back.

"You were gone for a full week. Were you alright?" He questioned.

My eyebrows narrowed. Why did he care? My family often skipped school on sunny days and for hunting trips. I could already tell he was observant for a human, more perspective. He didn't seem afraid by my peculiar behavior. Certainly, his mind would satisfy my curiosity.

_Nothing_. His mind was silent.

I tried again. Still nothing. I tried even harder, but with no luck. This was odd. I had never had to focus on a person's mind in order to read it. It came to me naturally, like breathing would be to a human. What was with this boy?

"Um_...Bella_?"

I had almost forgotten that he'd asked me a question.

"Oh, uh...yes. I did skip school. I went to Chicago to visit a friend." This was actually true. That was nice; it wasn't often when my family could be honest about something to humans.

"Oh," he said, allowing that.

We were both silent. I then proceeded to pick up my pencil and work on the worksheet, as did Edward. He was intelligent. He knew the answers just as clearly as I did.

I needed to talk to him. I was putting my family at risk simply by my silence. And, as much pain as this boy caused me, I was curious about him. I couldn't read his mind...

"So, how do you like Forks?" A suitable question for a human.

He shrugged. "It's_ okay_, I guess. It's kind of rainy..."

"You don't like the rain," I clarified with a burning breath.

He shook his head, smiled, and filled out another answer on the worksheet. "No, I guess I don't."

"Neither do I," I pointed out. And it was true. If I were human, I would spend all of my time in the sunlight.

We were silent for another few moments, and I was able to stop my breathing again.

"I'm sorry about being absent for so long," I began, deciding the silence between us was getting too long. Maybe if I could just get him talking, I might be able to hear his thoughts. "I'm certain all those lab activities must have been difficult without a partner." I shot him an apologetic smile.

He stared at me for a moment, seeming to be at a loss for words. "It's alright, I managed," he finally said.

"That's good."

"Did you get contacts?" He asked abruptly.

Contacts? _Right_, as if I needed to improve my eyesight.

"No, I didn't."

He stared into my eyes for a moment longer, seeming mesmerized. "Oh. Well...last week they were black, and now they're golden brown."

Could this boy be any more _observant?_ The obnoxious teenagers that inhabited Forks High School had never noticed that the Cullen's eyes changed color, that they never ate food, and that they didn't come to school on sunny days. Edward was not oblivious like the rest of them. I would have to be more careful.

"I think it's the lighting." A sorry excuse. Like any lights could make eyes look black as coal one day, and butterscotch the next.

"Oh." He continued to stare. "Well, they're... beautiful." He then turned away quickly, his cheeks blushing a crimson color.

I couldn't help but smile at that. "Thanks."

I had to change the subject. He was far too observant for us to have a conversation about me.

"So, Edward, if you don't like the rain, why did you move to one of the most overcast towns in the United States?"

He hesitated, running his fingers through his peculiar bronze hair. "Well, my mom got married, and she wanted to travel around the world with her new husband. So, I came to live with my dad." Edward made it sound like it was no big deal.

But _was _it a big deal to him? Was he glad to be here, with his father, despite the weather? That I wouldn't know until his silent mind informed me. At this point, however, I was unsure if it would.

"It doesn't seem like you're too happy about that," I mentioned, taking a wild guess.

He shrugged his muscular shoulders again. "Well, I get to spend more time with my dad, I guess." He paused. "But what about you? You don't seem so enthusiastic yourself."

"Well," I started, trying to come up with a good enough excuse. "Living here is what is was best for my family."

"And that means..." Edward prompted, wanting to know more.

Shoot. I said too much. "Well, sometimes it's not about you, but your family. They wanted to come here. I only want what's best for them."

"But, you're unhappy?"

I shrugged just like he had.

"I think you're suffering more than you're letting anyone see."

_You have no idea_, I thought to myself as I sucked in another flaming breath.

"I guess I'm more of a suffer in silence type, then, aren't I?"

He smiled, and his teeth were quite perfect for a human. "From what I can see, yes. I have to tell you, I find you rather difficult to read. I usually can read people a lot easier, but _you_..."

I almost laughed. I wanted to say, "I find you quite difficult to read, too," but of course I didn't.

"Hmm," was all I said.

By now, we were both done with our worksheets by then—the first ones in the class to finish.

"So, are you planning on spontaneously taking off for another week anytime soon?" He asked teasingly, smiling crookedly.

I rolled my eyes at him, although my mind was hoping I could answer him honestly. "I don't think so. I'll probably stick around for a while longer."

And then the bell rang. I didn't rush out as I had the last time, because now I felt no need to kill Edward. Of course, his blood still caused me unbearable pain that I almost couldn't resist, but I concentrated on other things, like the mysterious way I couldn't read his mind, rather than my thirst.

"Have a good night, Bella." Edward said as we started to walk out of the classroom.

Lucky for him, he would get to sleep. Certainly he would have a good night.

"You too, Edward."

I then headed out the door, and stopped at my locker to grab my book bag. I then stepped outside into the rainy day, and took my first fresh breath of air in an hour.

My siblings eventually reached the car, each one of them begging me to tell them how biology went.

"Nobody died," I reassured them as they slid into the car.

"Thank goodness," Alice breathed.

"Of course you didn't. You don't have the nerve to do that to me." --Rosalie.

"We knew you could do it, Bella," congratulated Jasper warmly.

"Impressive," Emmett scoffed.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, so, I didn't kill him." I paused. "But, there is something."

"What?" Alice asked, anxious.

"I can't read his mind?"

"Huh?" Rosalie demanded. That figured. She hated the fact that I could read her mind. And quite frankly, I hated reading her mind, too.

"I don't know! I can't hear anything."

"Wow. It's like a two-in-one deal. He chased you outa Forks _and_ he can keep you outa his mind. I gotta meet this guy!" Emmett remarked.

"Shut up, Emmett."

"No, but seriously, Jingle Bell! This has never happened before. Don't you think it's kinda..._weird_?" he asked.

"No, _really, _Emmett?" I questioned as I started the car.

"Is there, like, something wrong with him?" Rosalie asked.

"I don't know. Edward Masen is so...I don't know. Different. He has a silent mind."

A peculiar, observant,_ silent_ mind.

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	4. Intoxicated

Chapter Three

Edward Masen had not ceased to stun me every day at school. His mind remained quiet to me, and the blood that flooded his cheeks when he was embarrassed was oddly bewitching. My craving for his scent hadn't lessened over the past few days since I had returned to Forks, but it was easier to ignore the more I got to know him.

I couldn't help but be mesmerized by Edward. He was charming for a human, and although I couldn't read his mind, he seemed to be more original, not as girl-crazy and childish as all the other human boys. But I knew I shouldn't grow too attached. After all, he was mortal, and I was not.

As of right now, I was sitting in English class, not paying a bit of attention. I was listening in on Mike Newton's thoughts, spying on the conversation he was having with Edward in whispers in their world history class.

_"So, do you think you're comin' to Port Angeles on Friday? That new sports place isn't open on the weekends."_

_Edward shrugged. "Sure, I don't see why not."_

_"Awesome. We're all carpooling, so we'll probably be at your place by seven."_

_"Cool."_

Ah, so he would be going to Port Angeles tomorrow. Forks was a small, somewhat safe place for someone like Edward to roam. But Port Angeles was a different story. He could easily get separated from his group and end up somewhere dangerous. I had no choice but to follow him tomorrow.

But why? Why would I follow him? He was just a human, just as vulnerable as any other. Humans were killed every day by murder...and by merely tripping. Yes, I was definitely following him. Rosalie wouldn't be happy.

The day and night had flown by quickly, for once.

At seven thirty, I had told the others I was merely going into Port Angeles for a drive, and only Alice knew my true reason. She had thrown me a knowing smile as I walked out the door, and her thoughts were teasing. I shot her back a glare that dared her to mention it to anyone.

I felt eager to follow Edward and his friends to the authentic sport shop they were planning on stopping at. I was anxious to see what the others thought of him, and how Edward interacted with his new friends.

It was sunny as I started my engine, unfortunately. The sun was beginning to set later thanks to the arrival of spring, and I was thankful for the dark tint in the windows of the car. Now, my shining skin would not be exposed in the rays of the sun.

I arrived into town about twenty minutes before a normal person would drive, having exceeded the speed limit by far too many miles.

I drove around, not quite sure where this shop was. I hadn't ever spent much time in Port Angeles, and so I simply listened to the minds of the pedestrians as I drove, listening intently for anyone who had noticed Edward and his friends.

The sun was starting to set, but it was still too bright out for me to search by foot. I didn't exactly have a plan. Of course, having Edward notice me was not part of the deal. I would only see him. I felt sort of like a stalker as I drove down the streets. A stalker, searching for the face of a creature that didn't belong with me...

I had learned all too quickly that Edward was very popular with the girls at Fork's High School. They were all infatuated with his unruly bronze hair and his deep, green eyes. They didn't notice the more dominant traits of him though, as I did. The blush on his cheeks...the booming sound of his heartbeat...his blood pulsing throughout his body...

I shook off the thought, not wanting to think about it. It was bad enough that I was stalking a _human_, but it was a whole different story since he had the most amazingly sweet blood I'd ever come across. Nevertheless, I was thankful that Scarlett had convinced me to come back here. It hadn't been worth staying away from my family for so long. And despite the impossible pain I felt even now, as I thought about Edward's blood, it was more tolerable then feeling like a coward.

It had grown dark after about fifteen minutes, and I was negotiating whether to get out of my car and walk or to keep driving when I heard a peculiar thought amongst the rest.

_...I wonder if Wendy will like it..._

_...It's too bad they didn't have the color I wanted..._

_...Can't wait to play this game once I get home..._

And then...

_...Ah, look who we have here...._

Edward's face abruptly appeared in this particular mind.

It wasn't the mind of one of Edward's friends, because I didn't recognize the voice. And whoever it was was standing in the middle of an alley, with others. They were all huge, not quite as big as Emmett, but nonetheless humungous for humans. One held an open case of beer in his arms, and another was just crushing an empty can with his foot. His fourth can, I realized. Other men were there too, and through this particular mind, I counted five of them. And then, at last, was Edward, making his way through the alley, alone.

_...Wonder if this guy will cry when we break his jaw..._

_...I hope Chuck doesn't go too far with him..._

_...Maybe we'll throw him in the dumpster when we're done..._

My foot had already pressed on the gas pedal, passing ninety miles per hour on the nearly vacant street.

_These monsters were going to hurt Edward_. They were at least twice his average size, and Edward didn't stand a chance. It was completely dark now, but I had no trouble finding my way to this alley in the darkness.

_"Hey you!" One of the monsters, Chuck, called out to Edward._

_"Awfully late for a little girl like you to be walkin' around here." Another insulted him._

Through one of their minds, I saw Edward.

_"I'm just heading out," Edward informed, trying to sound nonchalant. He started to power-walk to the other end of the alley._

_"Hey hey hey," one of the huge mongrels bellowed, stepping in front of Edward's body. "Leaving so soon?"_

_"Yeah, where do you think you're goin'?" Another added._

_"Come on. Get out of my way," Edward persisted, showing no signs of physical self-defence._

_"I don't think so," Chuck denied, getting into Edward's face. "Don't think you're getting off that easy."_

All the other guys then formed a circle, leaving Edward trapped in the middle.

_Let's see if this sends him cryin' to his mom, Chuck though maliciously as he stepped in the middle of the circle._

_"What the--" Edward sputtered, but was interrupted when Chuck's fist came into contact with his stomach. He punched him hard, and Edward doubled over in pain._

I snarled, the loudest snarl of mine that I could recall. My vision turned red, and I was all for the hunt.

These sorry excuses for humans would pay their price for touching Edward. I would arrive, and they would see nothing but a mere girl with pale skin and black eyes. I would then catch them by surprise, pouncing on each one, snapping their necks in the process. But I would save this Chuck for last. I would make it slow and painful for him, so much pain he wouldn't be able to comprehend it. So much pain he would be begging me to kill him. But I wouldn't be that nice at first. I would smash his body into the brick wall of the alley, yet not hard enough to kill him. I then would torture him, ripping off one disgusting limb of his at a time...

But that would expose me in front of Edward. Edward would have to die, too, if I were to behave in such an inhumane manner. I could do nothing to these creatures, and that thought sent another growl bursting through my lips.

I was close now. I could hear the gang's voices as clearly as I could hear their thoughts. I stayed tuned into Chuck's mind, watching.

_"Get up!" He ordered Edward, who was still on the ground, clutching his stomach._

_Edward, seeing that he was in great danger, did as he was told, and stood up. In that same instant, Chuck kicked him back down again, his size ten shoe mauling Edward's shin, knocking him over once again._

They were all still laughing when I pulled into the alley, screeching to a stop. I leaped out of the car in that same second. They all jumped back, but after realizing I was just a girl, they started to laugh again.

"Looks like your little girlfriend's here to save the day!" One of them cheered sarcastically.

Edward, whose eyes were wide with shock and confusion, stayed put on the ground.

_...Great. Now we'll have two of 'em..._

_...She thinks she's tough. Good, more fight in her..._

I walked up to the thugs, desperately trying to not lose the control I had left, and torturing them right then and there.

"Get in the car," I ordered Edward, hearing the venom in my own voice.

Edward, seeming weak and pale in the moonlight, got up and walked quickly through the group of monsters, and shakily slid into the passenger seat of the Volvo.

The men didn't seem to notice, or care, that they had just lost their prey. They were much more interested in me now...

"That was dangerous," one of the creatures dared to point out sarcastically, gesturing to my car that had come close to hitting them. "Someone coulda gotten hurt—"

I cut him off with a fierce, low growl, one too quiet for Edward to hear, but loud enough for the monsters to hear. My eyes were wide, and my teeth were barred.

Their thoughts became confused, and then suddenly frantic. They were intimidated, and wanted nothing but to leave.

"Let's get outa here..." Chuck muttered, more scared then the rest of them

And they all took off; running through the opposite end of the alley, leaving the half full box of beer cans behind.

I swiftly swung open the door to my car, and had my foot on the gas pedal before I finished closing the door. Edward was sitting next to me, shock written all over his face.

I ignored it, along with the sudden burst of fire in my throat as I inhaled. I cut off my breathing. It was wrong for me to crave his blood after people had almost killed him anyway. It had just been Edward's luck all along. He had been saved by a killer...

I sped out of the alley, and I reached ninety miles an hour once I was on the road.

Edward's heartbeat thumped wildly in his chest.

To say I was angry would have been an understatement. Infuriated may be the right word. I was desperately resisting the urge to drive back to that alley and tear that vile _Chuck_ apart. How I would have loved to hear him scream in pain and agony...

But then I remembered Edward, the poor, weak, fragile human sitting next to me. I remembered the expression of pain when that huge monster had thrust his ugly fist into his stomach. His body being kicked and crashing to the ground...

"Are you alright, Edward?" I asked, my voice not sounding as soft as I wished it would have. My throat burned with craving, but I swallowed it back.

"I'm fine," he answered automatically. He turned to stare at me. "Are_ you_ alright, Bella?" He questioned, concern in his voice.

I almost laughed. _He_ was worried about _me_?

But _was_ I alright?

"No."

"What is it?" He asked frantically, putting his warm hand on my arm comfortingly. I cringed, but he didn't pull away. This was a first. All humans normally shied away from us. I was wearing a jacket, thankfully, so he couldn't feel the unusual temperature of my skin.

I thought for a moment, trying not to be moved by the care in his voice. I could not tell him the real reason why I was not okay, so I changed the subject.

"You were hurt. Do you want to go to the hospital?" I asked, my voice still rough.

With my perfect vision, I saw him roll his emerald green eyes. "I'm absolutely fine, Bella."

"No," I objected. "That vile man punched you."

"How'd you know about that?" He questioned.

Shoot. I said too much, again. Of course, I hadn't been there to see Edward beat up in person, but I had seen it through Chuck's mind.

I hesitated, and Edward noticed.

"You're hiding something," he pointed out nonchalantly.

I sighed, not having an answer to that. "Why were you apart from your friends?"

His eyes went wide, and his hand slid off my arm. "How did you know I was with my friends?"

"Just _tell_ me, Edward!" I spat, all means of speaking in a softer voice forgotten. I was completely and utterly disgusted with myself for slipping so much in less than two minutes.

He sighed. "I told them I would meet them at a restaurant, but they probably left by now. They're probably looking for me, actually. I told them I was going to a bookstore," He explained.

"Which restaurant?"

"La Bella Italia." And then he smiled a little, realizing my name was in the restaurant's title. I knew where that was. I sped off down the street, where it was crowded with cars. I sped in between them, farther and farther away from those creeps.

Edward was silent, with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Are you in pain?" I asked again.

He shook his head. "Don't worry about me."

By now, we had pulled up in front of the Italian restaurant, and as if on cue, Mike Newton, Eric Yorkie, and a few other boys from Forks High School were just walking out. I parked, and Edward and I got out. I was grateful to breathe fresh air again.

"Uh, hey Edward..." Mike called from the steps, seeming confused.

_So **now** he comes..._thought Eric.

_Bella Cullen? Is that really Bella Cullen?_ Thought another.

They all met up with Edward, and I remained a foot behind him.

"Hey, where were you?" Mike questioned. "Did ya get lost or something?" He chuckled.

Edward shook his head. "No, I uh..." he glanced around to look at me for a brief moment, a knowing look in his eyes. "I ran into Bella at the bookstore," he lied casually. "We were talking, and I just lost track of time," he lied, a lot more smooth than I would have.

Mike shifted his head so he could see me behind Edward.

"Oh, hey Bella," he greeted shyly.

"Hello, Mike," My voice was almost back to normal.

They were all silent for a moment.

"Well," I started, my finally calm voice breaking the silence. "Seeing that all of you already ate, I suppose Edward should eat, too. I don't mind driving him home myself," I suggested. There was no way I was letting him out of my sight. Not this night, when his luck was on a bad streak. With his luck, he would probably get into a car accident with Mike Newton driving.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Edward asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Certainly not," I insisted._ Why was I insisting_? This was wrong. Edward was mere steps away from guessing the truth, and I was practically holding my arms out for him as he took each step closer.

"Okay. I'll see you guys tomorrow," Edward said to his friends.

Mike punched Edward's shoulder playfully, but I grit my teeth. As if Edward hadn't been hit enough already.

"See ya later, man."

When Edward and his friends parted, we walked into the restaurant and took a seat in one of the booths in the back of the restaurant. Edward looked at me with a sceptical look in his eyes, and I knew it was because of the night's previous events.

"So, are you going to tell me how you knew where I was, or are you going to keep me guessing?" He asked with a sly smile that lit up the room.

I was infatuated for a moment, a human emotion that was foreign to me, but nevertheless strong. I had completely lost my train of thought, another thing that had never happened to me before. What was going on? Edward was human. A mere, pathetic mortal, just like all the rest of them. Sure, he was different, considering I couldn't read his mind, but still a human, regardless. Being with him was impossible. Beyond impossible. Every aspect of any kind of relationship we could possibly have would go completely against nature. I looked into his eyes. They were so green that it almost seemed unnatural, and I was an expert on unnatural. They were so deep, so vivid, so—

"_Bella_?" His voice snapped me out of my ridiculous fantasy.

"_Oh_, um...I'm sorry, what?" How could I have forgotten what we had just been talking about? This was absurd!

Edward chuckled. "I was just asking if you were planning on telling me how you coincidently showed up in that alley just before those guys beat the heck out of me. It's like you had it all scheduled in your head or something," he explained.

I hesitated, now feeling more human than ever.

"Care to explain?" Edward questioned, raising his eyebrows.

I shrugged, and I would have been blushing if such a thing were possible. "There's really not much to explain," I lied casually. "I happened be driving past that alley, and I saw you in there. You know the rest."

"And you didn't think I could take care of myself?" He accused, seeming to be amused all the while.

_I know you can't_, I wanted to say. But I didn't.

"Well, would you have preferred if I _left_ you there?" I asked. "Those guys were going to beat the living daylights out of you."

He nodded, allowing that. "Well, I suppose you're right. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

We were both silent for a moment, until a waiter came to our table.

_...Whoa..._ the gangly, unhealthy-skinned waiter thought in frenzy. _She's **hot.**_

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"Uh...h...hi. I'm Todd, and I be your waiter tonight. What can I get you to drink?" He looked directly at me.

"Edward?" I asked, deciding I'd order whatever he ordered.

"A coke, please."

"Two cokes," I told Todd.

"I'll be right back with that..." He should have turned right away, but his eyes lingered on me for a moment, and then he power-walked into the kitchen.

I saw Edward raise his eyebrows for a brief moment, but then he composed his face.

"So, where were we?" I asked, as much as I didn't want to get back to our previous conversation.

"We were discussing how you amazingly showed up to save my life, almost as if you were spying on me," Edward pointed out with nonchalance.

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Right."

His face was serious. "Bella, I didn't see your car there. Not when the guy punched me, at least."

"Edward," I disclaimed. "Don't you think you might have been the _least bit unobservant_ in that situation?"

Of course, that wasn't true. He was probably very observant, even when someone was about to beat him up.

He shook his head. "I know what I saw. And I _didn't_ see your car."

I frowned. He would just have to make his own assumptions now. I didn't have a choice, and it wasn't as if humans had never suspected us before.

"What do you_ think_ happened?"

He sighed. "I don't know if I can tell you that. But I _will _find out."

That wasn't likely. Unless, of course, I urged him to as I had been. "Do you have any theories?" I asked.

"Kryptonite, or bitten by a radioactive spider." He was unashamed.

I almost laughed. "You're not even close!"

Shoot! Why had I said that? I had just confirmed that I was different.

"I'll figure it out eventually," Edward promised.

I remained quiet, absolutely disgusted with myself.

_Run_, Edward, I wanted to say_. You don't want to know what I am. I'm dangerous. Run, run while you still can!_

Todd arrived with our drinks, and Edward drank his fast. He must have been in shock from the incident.

When he was done gulping his, I slid my full glass across the table for him to drink.

"Do you feel alright?" I asked. Humans were horribly fragile. "Are you dizzy? Faint?"

He chuckled. "I'm _fine_, Bella. I can take a punch. It's no big deal."

What I would have given to read his mind right then. Was he really in pain, but trying to cover it up in front of me? What did he think of me as far as my species?

"_You_, on the other hand, probably couldn't have."

I knit my eyebrows. "Couldn't have what?"

"Taken a punch. I'm sure those guys would have tried to hurt you, too. What were you thinking? You could have gotten hurt."

I snorted. The likelihood of that happening was seriously small. "Well, I guess today's my lucky day then, isn't it?"

His lips curved, a smile threatening to form on his face. "It certainly is."

He stared at me for a moment.

"What are you thinking?" I asked. The question sounded simple enough.

He squinted his green eyes. "I'm trying to figure out what you are."

I sighed. "I really wish you wouldn't," I murmured, being honest.

"Bella," Edward breathed. "You can trust me." And then he slid his hand onto mine.

Suddenly, my hand was on fire. The heat shocked me, and I couldn't breathe. The warmth radiating from his hand had sent some form of an electric shock through mine. At that moment, I did trust Edward. I trusted him with every secret I had, and every inch of my soul-less existence. It was insanity, although I was only partly aware of that at the moment. I was far too distracted to realize the definite impossibility of the bond forming slowly before my eyes. I was too sidetracked to be horrified.

His green eyes were glowing in something unfamiliar, but they were warm and opening. Something I should have definitely avoided.

"I _want _to trust you, Edward," I spoke softly, for once.

He looked down at our hands, and then I recognized the unknown emotion in his eyes. Bewilderment, strong and clear.

"Your hand is so cold..." He muttered with questioning eyes.

I slowly pulled my hand away, my silent heart aching with every inch. I rested my hand in my lap.

I was absolutely speechless. I could almost imagine pieces clicking together in his mind. Changing eye colors...ice cold skin...

"Are you ready to place your order?"

It was Todd, the awkward waiter whom I had nearly forgotten about.

I looked at Edward, urging him to order his food.

"I'll have the mushroom ravioli," he told Todd, seeming to order at the first thing he saw on the menu.

Todd scratched his order on the pad of paper, and then eagerly turned towards me.

"And for you, miss?"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyebrows yet again.

"Nothing for me."

Edward knew, now. He knew I was different. It had almost been too easy to expose myself in front of him. As long as he didn't know exactly what I was was all that mattered. But still, to allow him to come so close to the truth...

"Don't tell me you're dieting," Edward accused as soon as Todd walked away.

I couldn't help but chuckle. "I guess you could say I am. A special diet." Might as well lighten the situation with jokes.

Edward didn't say anything.

I could almost read his thoughts simply by looking at his face. That was the closest I would ever get to actually reading them.

We sat in silence for a moment, Edward probably trying to figure me out. I, on the other hand, was trying to find a way out of that. That wasn't likely, though.

"So, you have quite a large family," Edward pointed out randomly. "You must never get lonely."

I couldn't help but agree with him. "Never." There wasn't much privacy in my family to start with, what with my mind reading and Alice's ability to see the future and Jasper's talent to manipulate people's emotions.

"You're lucky that you come from a big family." Edward remarked. "But I can see they're not biologically related to you."

"Yes," I confirmed. "Carlisle and Esme adopted us all." Finally, I could tell him the full truth tonight.

"What happened to your parents?" He asked hesitantly, seeming to not want to hurt my feelings.

Of course, he was always the one to worry about hurting me, while I was hurting him already so terribly.

"They died when I was young," I told him, another honest truth.

I didn't remember my biological parents very well. All I remembered was my father and his constant cigar smoking, a common habit of men in the early nineteen hundreds. I remembered my mother's soft voice humming to me before I would go to sleep when I was human. I recalled my little brother, Patrick, who had been merely three years old when my family had gotten into a fateful automobile crash. My family had been assumed to be dead, but sure enough, Carlisle found me in the morgue, and my heart was still beating.

"I'm sorry," Edward murmured.

I shook my head. "Don't be. It was a very long time ago, and Carlisle and Esme have been my parents ever since."

"I'm sure you love them," Edward went on.

I nodded. And they would always love me, no matter how horrible a daughter I was. Even after tonight, after having come so close to exposing us, they would still love me.

"Yes," I replied.

We were silent for a moment.

"What do you like to do, Edward," I asked. "Certainly you have hobbies of some sort."

He shrugged. "Well, I was on the cross country team back in Phoenix, but I don't think running in mud and puddles of water would work out so well in Forks. But I do play the piano."

This intrigued me. "Really?"

He nodded, seeming to not want to brag. "Yes, ever since I was a child."

I nodded, trying to imagine his long fingers flying across the black and white keys of a piano. It was easy to visualize.

Just then, Todd came with Edward's food. Edward thanked him, and I was eager for Todd to leave so we could continue our conversation.

"Are you sure there isn't anything I can get for you?" He inquired desperately.

I shook my head. "Thanks, but I'll pass."

He struggled to keep the disappointment off his face. "Alright. Just let me know if there's anything I can get you."

Once again, he walked away slowly, wishfully thinking I would call him back and order something to eat.

I raised my eyebrows, as did Edward once Todd disappeared into a separate part of the restaurant.

"Well," I mumbled, annoyed.

"Hmm," Edward mused as well as he picked up his fork. He didn't seem uncomfortable that he was the only one eating. Not as uncomfortable as I did. I, for one, would have enjoyed contributing to the normalcy of this outing. Of course, it had been completely unexpected, but if I were only human, this would have been much more of a normal date. But, of course, I had said goodbye to normal over ninety years ago.

"So, Bella," Edward remarked as he put a piece of ravioli into his mouth. He chewed, and swallowed. "If you're not going to tell me how you really found me today, or why you're not eating, then at least will you tell me why your eyes have changed color, _again_?"

It was funny that he'd forgotten to mention the icy temperature of my skin.

And had my eyes really changed color? They probably had been black before, and were now gold since I had calmed down, I realized.

"Edward, I saved your life tonight. Can't you just thank me and get over it?" I questioned, trying to keep my voice soft.

He shook his head. "As much as I do appreciate your assistance, I'm afraid I cannot simply forget."

I sighed. "You're way too observant. It's not natural."

His eyebrows rose, and he snorted. "Really?_ I'm_ unnatural?"

Of course, he was comparing himself to me. Why wouldn't he?

"Edward," I lectured, all signs of escaping this consequence gone. "Why don't you just pay a little less attention to me and a little more attention to your food?" I suggested, my tone wry.

He chuckled, his deep low voice ringing beautifully. "Yes ma'm."

I watched him eat the rest of his food, and when he was finished, he looked up at me.

"Enjoying the view?"

I smiled, and I would have blushed if I had the ability.

Todd came back to our table, and reluctantly handed over the check. Just as I had been about to reach for it, Edward snatched it, and I couldn't pull it away from him for fear that he would feel my skin again.

"No, Edward. I can't let you do that," I objected.

He smiled, his perfect teeth gleaming. "Bella, you didn't even eat anything. And this is replacement for me _getting over it_. Since obviously that isn't going to happen, I will pay for dinner in return for you having saved my life earlier today." He smirked. "So now we're equal."

I rolled my eyes, not wanting to argue. We walked up towards the front, Edward handed the check to the cashier, and we headed outside into the cold air.

"Nice night out," I pointed out.

Edward grimaced. "Yes, considering it's forty degrees in spring."

I had almost forgotten his hatred of cold weather.

I laughed. "Yes, but the night is still beautiful, regardless of the cold."

Edward smiled, looking at me for the briefest second and then turning away quickly.

We walked to my car and slid in. I made sure to turn the heat up all the way so Edward wouldn't be uncomfortable with the cold temperature of the car.

I sped out of Port Angeles, driving at my usual pace, ninety miles an hour. Edward didn't seem to notice, as most paranoid humans would.

"Will you be at school tomorrow?" Edward asked me once I got on the road.

Ah, so he had noticed my family's occasional absences. We only left when the sun was out, or to hunt. But I had hunted recently, and Alice had predicted gloomy, rainy weather for the rest of the week.

"Yes. I have that biology paper due, too, you know," I reminded him. Of course, I had finished it what seemed like eons ago.

"Good." Edward paused. "I mean, good, because...you know...you wouldn't want it to be counted as a late assignment." He paused again. "Please don't misunderstand, because I'm glad that you're coming to school..." He sighed. "I'm just going to stop talking now."

I laughed loudly. "That was quite amusing."

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I've got to be honest, Bella. I can't function normally when I'm around you. I feel...different. I have difficulty forming coherent thoughts, and sentences, for that matter." He turned to look at me. "I wonder why that is," he mused, not only to himself.

Was I hearing what I thought I was hearing? That Edward Masen felt something for_ me_? Something deep and passionate and unexplainable, something that only occurred in movies and books? Movies and books that all had happy endings?

"Ah, this is wrong," I murmured.

Edward sighed. "I don't understand."

I closed my eyes, despite the fact I was driving. "Edward, you shouldn't feel these things about me. It's really not in your best interest."

"And how is it not?"

"Edward, I've told you before, and I'll tell you again. You are extraordinarily observant. Surely you have noticed that there is something a bit..._off_...about me?" I demanded.

"Bella, there's nothing wrong with you. I know that, and that's more certain than anything I've ever known. I'll admit that you never cease to surprise me, but not once had I ever thought that there's something the matter with you." He explained, honestly ringing in every word.

It took me a moment to absorb that. For the second time since I'd met him, Edward was driving me insane. "Edward," I whispered. "You don't know what you're saying."

If he thought there was nothing wrong with me, there _must _have been something wrong with him.

"I think I do," Edward objected. "I think, for some reason, you just don't want me to be saying some things. There's something you don't want me to know; a secret. And you think that I can't handle the truth. But Bella, I've told you how I feel. You know already. It doesn't matter to me what your secret is. I'll not allow one thing to change the current mindset I am in."

My eyes were wide. "It doesn't _matter_?"

"No."

As impossible as it seemed, I was pulled up in front of Edward's house. He didn't notice the fact that I had needed to guide or directions to get there. It was just another clue that I was a freak.

"Edward, if it really doesn't matter, than you should really stay away from me."

Of course I didn't want him to stay away from me. But he was too intentive to be around me. He would end up getting hurt, by me, unintentionally.

He sighed, and at first I was horrified that I'd hurt him.

I was about to apologize, but he unbuckled his seat belt and opened the passenger door, proceeding to get out of the car.

"Thank you for everything, Bella," he said, leaning into the open passenger side.

"You're welcome," I managed to say.

He hesitated, and I expected him to close the door and walk into his house.

"Goodnight, Bella."

"Goodnight, Edward. Sleep well," I replied, and I really meant it. Maybe a night of sleep would convince him that he'd imagined all the oddities from this night.

He leaned in closer to me, his face less than a foot away from my own.

I swallowed in a scorching breath, completely intoxicated.

"Even though it doesn't matter," he whispered huskily, "I will still find out. And I won't stay away from you."

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	5. Avoiding the Inevitable

Chapter Four

"How _could _you, Bella?!" Rosalie demanded the second I stepped through the front door at home. She flew over to me, and got in my face. "Does this family mean _anything_ to you? You're going to ruin everything!"

I sighed, and pushed her away. "Shut up, Rose."

The rest of my family made their way into the kitchen. They didn't look mad, like Rosalie. Their thoughts, however, were questioning me. Alice was trying to block her thoughts from me by repeating the pledge of allegiance in Mandarin Chinese.

_What's going on Bella?_ Esme asked me silently, curious.

I sighed. "I'm sure Alice has all told you what happened tonight."

Carlisle nodded. "That was very brave of you, Bella. You did very well."

My eyes went wide. "_What?!_ I almost--"

But Rosalie cut me off, finishing my sentence for me. "She almost ruined everything, Carlisle! She almost exposed us, and you say she did _well_?!" She turned towards me, her blond hair whisking past her face. "You should have let those guys beat him up!_ Seriously_, Bella! What were you thinking?! Just because you all of a sudden feel like you need to protect this_ human_, that doesn't mean that we don't exist! You have to stop being so selfish and leave him alone! He's not as important as your family! What would you have done if he--"

"_Rosalie_, that's enough," Carlisle interjected. "It's wrong of you to chastise your sister. She has done nothing wrong."

Rosalie didn't respond, but her thoughts were still roaring with anger.

Esme walked towards me and put her hand on my cheek. "Alice told us everything that happened. And you'll see. Everything will turn out alright," she reassured me in a calm voice.

Emmett and Jasper were standing against the wall, who unlike Esme and Carlisle, were questioning my sanity.

Alice's thoughts were still in a foreign language.

"Alice?" I started, my voice an octave higher. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

She moved on to the National Anthem in Portuguese. "No," she said, concentrating hard.

I eyed her sceptically. "_Alice_..."

"Nothing's wrong, Bella," she lied, struggling not to think about whatever she didn't want me to know.

And then she slipped.

Suddenly, my whole world was turned upside-down. Unimaginable thoughts were becoming reality. Terrifying fears, worse than my worst fears, were slowly unravelling to be true.

"No." I said, surprisingly calm. "_No_."

Alice sighed, giving up trying to hide it from me.

The vision was clear, almost too clear. Meaning that it had a higher chance of happening.

"It's going to happen, Bella. The vision gets clearer every second." Alice told me.

"No," I said calmly again.

"Bella..."

"_NO_!" I fumed, startling not only my family, but myself. "No! This _cannot_ be happening!"

Esme's eyes were wide. "What? Alice, Bella, what's wrong?" She sounded concerned, which didn't happen very often.

"No, no, no! I won't let this happen!" I ranted, pacing back and forth.

"Will somebody please inform us what is going on?" Carlisle requested.

A small smile appeared on Alice's face. "It seems that Bella has a reason for her protectiveness of Edward Masen. She's going to _fall in love_ with him!"

She was..._happy_?!

"NO!" I yelled. "No. That will _never_ happen!"

Emmett exploded into a roaring fit of laughter. "Bella's going to fall for a _human_?!" He chuckled. "Nice going, Jingle Bell!"

"No," I repeated for the millionth time. "I will not let that happen!"

Jasper sighed. _Bella, honestly_, he thought. _Behind all this anger, I think you know what you're feeling._

I froze, my eyes wide. I was furious right now, but a part of me knew that there was nothing I could do to stop this nightmare from occurring. A part of me...wanted it to happen.

Rosalie put her hands on my shoulders before I could punch my fist into the wall in frustration. "What are you _thinking_, Bella?! Have you _utterly _lost your _mind_?"

I ignored her. "I'll leave again. I will not let this happen. I'll go back to Chicago--"

"No, Bella!" Esme objected. "No. You can't leave. We need you here! I don't want you to go."

My silent heart ached to listen to Esme. I couldn't leave my mother again. I couldn't hurt another person.

I sighed. "Alright, I'll stay. But--"

"_No_, I think it would be best if you leave, Bella." Rosalie advised. "Nobody here wants to deal with this. You inflicted this problem upon us, and now _you_ have to pay that consequence."

"Rose, chill out," Emmett remarked after he was done laughing his head off.

Rosalie scowled at me.

I felt ashamed. My whole family was going to suffer just because I couldn't control my un-beating heart. It wasn't fair to them.

But what had I done to deserve this? Why did every aspect of my life always have to be so difficult? Everything for me was always a challenge, while everyone else got the easy way out...

And on top of everything, Alice and Esme were..._happy for me._ They were glad I'd finally found someone.

I had to leave. Of course, I wouldn't go far, but I had to leave the house. I needed to think. I needed to breathe. I was practically suffocating in my own self-hatred.

I was out the door in less than a second. I didn't bother taking a car. I needed a good run. I dashed into the woods, ignoring Alice and Esme's pleading calls for me to return.

I scurried through the greenery, my mind committed to the hunt. I sensed an elk not two miles into the forest, and I pounced on it the second it came into my sight.

I was rougher than the animal deserved. I took my anger out on my food.

I couldn't go home. Not this night, when the emotions were so mixed up. Jasper was probably being tortured with everyone's feelings; love and hate combined...

It was late now, about midnight. No stars were visible thanks to the clouds in the black sky.

Edward Masen was simply going to drive me insane. That I knew for sure. And that became even clearer as I ran to Edward's house, and climbed up the wall leading to his bedroom window...

And now I was officially his obsessed stalker.

His room was dark, small, and organized. His books were stacked up neatly on the shelf on the opposite wall, his trophies from having been on the track team on the top shelf. Neatly folded clothes were sitting on his arm chair, waiting to be put away. And last, Edward's sleeping figure was on the bed, under a dark blue blanket.

His heart beat was steady, relaxed. His breathing was even; his chest moving up and down. His green eyes were shut behind closed lids. His green eyes which had completely captivated me, which had caused me to lose my train thought. His eyes had been my only focus...he and I had been the only ones in the restaurant...

For the love of all that was holy. Alice had been right!

How could this happen? I wasn't in love with Edward yet, but I was drawing nearer with each burning inhale. And he had feelings for me, too. He had told me he did. He had trouble with coherency in my presence, just as I did in his. It was wrong. Sure, all humans were drawn towards my family because of our supernatural attractiveness, but they weren't supposed to fall in _love_ with us. Just as we weren't supposed to fall in love with our intended prey.

So why did my world suddenly revolve around Edward Masen? I hadn't known him very long, yet I couldn't imagine the rest of my life being apart from him.

I concentrated back to his body now, sleeping on the bed. I wondered if he knew I was there. Not consciously, of course, but maybe in his sleep, he could feel my presence. I thought this, because he all of a sudden seemed restless. He kicked the covers off, exposing his boxers and t-shirt as pajamas. He turned onto his opposite side, so his back was facing me now. He sighed in his sleep, and then I knew he must be dreaming.

I sat down in the wooden desk chair, and held my breath. The fire was beginning to become unimaginably uncomfortable, and I didn't need any more pain this night.

What a horrible excuse for a person I was. I was ruining so many lives, especially Edward's. He didn't deserve this. He deserved someone better; someone who wasn't trying to resist the urge to kill him every second. Someone _mortal_.

And my family didn't deserve this as well. I was very close to exposing us, just as Edward was very close to figuring out the truth. If the residents in Forks ever found out, we would have to leave. We would have to move someplace for away where no one would know us. That would make me hate myself more than Rosalie ever could.

Despite the fact that I, according to Alice, was destined to fall in love with Edward, I couldn't help but feel some resentment towards him now. First, his blood. His blood, which caused me to almost kill him, and to expose my family, that first day I met him in biology. His blood which I still craved, and I couldn't imagine myself ever stopping craving. Second, the fact that he was so observant for a human. Why couldn't he focus on normal teenage boy things, like video games? And third, that he had to be so viciously fascinating.

Why had he come to Forks? Out of all the towns in the country, why depressing, rainy, pathetic _Forks_? The one place with vampires, and he was unlucky enough to have one of those vampires fall in love with him. It was ridiculous, almost, it was—

"_Bella_..."

My body tensed, and my senses were alert. I was prepared to dive through the open window, if Edward were to sit up.

Had he caught me here? How could I explain to him, without him jumping to the conclusion that I was a sick, deranged stalker?

"Hmmm...Bella..." Edward mumbled again. He sighed and rolled over, and much to my relief, his eyes were still closed.

And, much to my surprise, Edward talked in his sleep.

I had been wrong before. His facial expressions weren't the best way to read his mind.

This was.

It felt so good to hear him say my name. It felt so..._right_. The way he pronounced each syllable made me feel like I was worthy of something I didn't deserve.

I stayed in Edward's room all night, sitting in his shabby desk chair. The talking stopped as morning drew nearer, and Edward fell into a deeper sleep. He said my name only a few more times, along with the name _Charlie_, his father, and _Renee, _whom I guessed to be his mother.

I did have to go when I heard Charlie Masen's sleeping thoughts becoming more aware. After one last glance at the sleeping Edward, I flew out the window and dashed across the yard and into the woods in half a second.

Now it was time to face my family.

Rosalie was probably still furious, Alice and Esme were most likely bouncing off the walls in happiness that I had found someone, and Emmett was probably still laughing his head off at the fact that my someone was human.

I entered the door cautiously, and I was relieved to find that nobody was in the kitchen. I walked inside, prepared to bee-line it straight to my room. I was stopped by Alice.

Of course, she had seen my little pit-stop last night. And Alice had been right. I was becoming more and more decided that I had feelings for Edward, as much as I tried to avoid it. I was a monster.

"Bella!" Alice hugged me. "You're home!"

I raised my eyebrows, not surprised that she had been excited to see me after my trip to Edward's house.

"Hi, Alice."

Esme and Carlisle then appeared in the doorway, both happy to see me home, but still worried about me for having left last night.

"Carlisle, Esme," I started, breaking out of Alice's small arms. "I'm sorry about last night."

Carlisle put his hand on my shoulder. "Think nothing of it, Bella."

Esme smiled warmly. "Welcome home." _Don't fret over what Rosalie said,_ she added in her mind.

I went up to my bedroom to change into fresh clothes. I heard Rosalie's thoughts from the other room, and I wasn't surprised that she had decided to not acknowledge my return. As I had expected, Alice left out an outfit for me to where on the ottoman in my closet, which was literally bigger than my bedroom

I was disappointed that today was Saturday, because now the best chance I had of seeing Edward would be spying on him through the dark shadows. I could, of course, invite him to spend the day with me. The idea was intriguing, tempting...but I would restrain myself—this time. Besides, the sun was rising in the sky, unusually bright for Forks. Today would be a rare sunny day, and my family and I would have no choice but to stay inside, away from the public eye.

I watched mindless television with Emmett and Alice that morning. Well, Alice and Emmett watched, and I stared at the screen.

Rosalie was in her room brushing her hair, trying to get her mind off the major problem I was bringing upon our family. Jasper was reading in his study, trying to clear his mind from all feelings, not something easy for him to do. It wasn't as if I could block people's thoughts from my own mind without making a tremendous effort. Esme was humming to herself on the second level, going over some blueprints. Carlisle was at his job at the hospital, where he would remain for the day.

When the sunny morning turned into an even sunnier afternoon, Alice dragged me upstairs, insisting that we needed to pick out my clothes for the rest of the week, as if she hadn't seen them already.

I tried on blouse after blouse, and several skirts that I despised to wear, when Alice's face froze, and her eyes stared into space for the briefest moment.

I saw her vision just as soon as she did.

Before I even had time to question her vision, our house phone rang. I ran down the stairs in less than a second, and hissed at Emmett just as he had been about to pick up the phone. I snatched it out of its cradle, but waited several seconds before answering, allowing the other line to ring before I answered.

"Hello?" I greeted after three rings, knowing exactly who my caller was.

"Hello, Bella. It's Edward Masen."

My silent, frozen heart practically melted at the sound of his voice.

"Hi, there, Edward," I remarked as casually as I could.

Edward seemed to hesitate from the other line. "Uh, Bella, I...I wanted to see if you wanted to go somewhere with me tonight," his voice was velvety and alluring.

I almost smiled. "Where?" I wouldn't go, of course—as much as it pained me. But it would be nice to know.

"To Jessica Stanley's party. I wasn't going to go, but, if you want to come with me, I'd be happy to go with you."

I sighed, but not loud enough for Edward to hear on the other side of the phone. I wanted to go. Truth be told, I hadn't been to that many parties throughout my existence. Humans shied away from us, and certainly didn't take the time to invite us to social gatherings. And I was certain that Jessica Stanley would be an exception.

"I really don't think I was invited," I told Edward doubtfully.

I could almost see him smile. "Well I just invited you," He chuckled, and the sound was like bells over the phone. "Besides, I'm sure anyone can come. She didn't exactly have a guest list."

I thought for a moment. I wanted to go. But Edward knew far, far too much all ready. Any more time spent with him would be automatic exposure.

Alice then appeared out of nowhere, giving me a look that dared me to say no to Edward.

You'll end up going anyway, she teased in her mind. You might as well accept the fact that you can never say no to him. Just get it over with.

I widened my eyes at her, my teeth bared as if I was going to growl at her.

"Alright, Edward. That sounds like it would be fun." I shot Alice a shocked expression, shocked that she had convinced me to go, and that I had just told him I would attend.

He sounded happy. "Wonderful. Would it be alright if I pick you up at seven?"

"Seven o'clock is perfect."

It was nearly seven o'clock. Somehow, the rest of the day had gone by, and somehow my anxiousness was growing stronger with every passing minute. Alice had dressed me in a pair of skinny jeans, a ridiculous pink and lace blouse which bodice cascaded down, and silver ballet flats. My brown hair had been twisted into curls, and clipped to the sides. Alice insisted I looked ready, although the way I felt was the opposite. I felt utterly unprepared. How could I face Edward after what he had noticed of me? This was ridiculous! This was insane! This was—

_Ding dong..._

"He's here!" Alice cheered.

I had been so distracted with worry that I hadn't heard him drive up. I swallowed.

Alice nudged me forward. _Go,_ she encouraged in her mind, and then she giggled out loud.

I took a deep breath; my last breath of air that didn't cause my throat to burst into flames. I walked in a human pace to the door, and swung it open.

My obsession with Edward Masen grew immensely right then. He was dressed casually, clad in a pair of jeans and a navy blue button-down shirt. He was wearing the black coat with I recognized from the restaurant. His green eyes shone like stars, even in the gloomy aftermath of the sunset.

He smiled. "Bella." His tone was full of warmth.

"Hello, Edward," I breathed once I found my voice.

Edward stared at me for a moment. "You look...lovely." He blushed.

If I were human, I would have blushed, too. "Thanks."

"Well," Edward hesitated. "Let's go."

I grabbed my jacket off the railing and stepped outside into the humid night. Edward led the way towards the driveway.

"Your house is amazing," Edward complimented when we reached his car.

I had to make an effort to keep my eyebrows from rising. His car was an old, rusted, red Chevy. The paint was chipping everywhere; and the style practically screamed _1950s._

He must have noticed me staring. Why must he be so observant?

"Yeah...it was my father's old truck." He chuckled.

I smiled, but I couldn't think of anything to say.

Edward held open the bulky passenger door for me, and I slid in. He came in on the other side, and started the noisy engine. Not that Rosalie hadn't noticed my leaving, but she probably noticed it even more now. There would be hell to pay once I got home.

We were silent at first. I moved my shoulders slightly up and down, but did not dare to breathe. He drove down the pathway out of the forest and onto the main road.

"Thank you for inviting me," I remarked. "I haven't been out in a while."

"You're welcome. I'm...I'm glad you're with me." His voice rang with sincerity.

This was wrong._ Dead wrong_. But I had already established that fact. It was time to move on.

"I'm glad I'm with you, too."

He smiled. "Your parents don't expect you home at a certain time, do they?" Edward inquired.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "No, as long as I come home in one piece."

Carlisle and Esme had always guided and helped me throughout this immortal life we shared, but they did not conduct me. I was just as mature as they were, in ways. They were my parental figures, and I loved them dearly, but I made decisions for myself most of the time.

He laughed heartily. "Well I'm sure that can be arranged."

We were just pulling up to the Stanley's house. The small drive way and street surrounding it was scattered with cars. We found a spot towards the end of the block. We got out to walk down the sidewalk towards the house. We were silent.

The party was loud and crowded. I recognized all of the children, and they paid no attention to Edward and me as we walked through her front door.

"Edward!" Jessica appeared from amongst the crowd. She smiled at him, and then turned to me, a sceptical expression on her face.

"Bella," she greeted, although it sounded like she was about to ask me a question.

_So **Bella Cullen** is crashing my party? I wonder if Edward invited her. Or maybe she just invited herself..._

"Hello, Jessica," Edward and I said in unison.

_He definitely invited her_, Jessica decided. _**Come on!** Why her? She and her family are so weird...I wonder if her dad gave them all surgery to make them look so perfect..._

"Well, um, drinks and stuff are in the kitchen, help yourselves, and um, there's music in the basement, and, so...yeah. Have fun." Her voice was an octave higher as she spoke.

She then scurried back into the crowd of talking teenagers, seemingly embarrassed in front of Edward.

The party carried on.

I talked to people I normally never talked to, I was introduced to Edward's friends, and I pretended to sip a coke. Luckily, Edward never offered to dance with me.

It was almost as if someone had pressed the fast-forward button on the night. Since I had hardly talked to Edward, considering we were surrounded by dozens of very outgoing teenagers.

The night was black outside, and clouds deterred the shining silver and gold specks to shine in the dark blanket of sky.

Jessica's parents eventually kicked us all out, and everyone went outside to pile into the cars. Edward and I made our way back to his red Chevy on the opposite end of the street.

Edward and I walked slowly in the darkness.

"Bella," Edward finally spoke up, his voice sounding hesitant.

"Yes?"

"About last night..."

Oh no. Why did he decide now was the best time to bring it up? It certainly wasn't, not with all the kids behind us, laughing merrily without a care in the world. I would have to change the subject, somehow.

I looked at him in his eyes. His sparkling, bright, green eyes. "Yes. I want to apologize for that. My behavior was..." I shook my head. And this was the best I could give him. He would never know how sorry I was. How sorry I was for almost killing him, how sorry I was for luring him into my horrifying life, how sorry I was for falling intensely and dangerously in love with him...

"Don't apologize," He murmured. "You've got nothing to be sorry for."

I sighed, but didn't argue with him.

"I want you to be honest with me, Bella. You said, last night, that it wasn't right for you to be with me. I want to know why you said that."

We proceeded to cross the street to get to his car.

"Edward," I started, not having any idea how to lie to him. I wasn't about to get a genius idea anytime in the next two seconds. Where was Alice when you needed her? "Edward, what happened to 'it doesn't matter'?" I quoted him.

He sighed. "Well, it doesn't. But I would still like to know. Bella, I've come up with a new theory. And I think that--"

A screeching, sickening noise interrupted up. It sounded of rubber skidding across wet cement...and it was.

Not only that, but it was headed straight towards Edward and I.

I didn't have time to form a coherent thought that would have caused me to act upon this situation differently. All I knew was that this huge, blue van was out of control, and destined to slam into Edward and me.

It was only a mere foot away from us when I threw myself to the ground, taking Edward with me. His head slammed against my right, solid-as-a-rock shoulder, and I heard him gasp in shock. I flung him to the other side of me, being far too rough with his fragile body. I then extended my arm, and the side of the car smashed into my hand. The car tipped forward for a moment, threatening to tip over and crush us. I gave it another forceful push with my hand, and rather than completely halting to a stop, the van started to slid the opposite direction, and ten to the side. The van's bumper crashed into the empty station wagon.

Once I was sure the van was out of motion, I turned to face Edward. Had I handled him to roughly while trying to save his life? Had any of his blood spilled before me? If that was the case, then he stood no chance. It would be immediate exposure.

But I did not see or smell any fresh blood, and Edward's head still lay against my shoulder, his eyes wide open, alarmed.

I then heard the screams and shouts of the party goers. They hadn't noticed my rescue. From all they could tell, the van had come towards us and I had pushed Edward out of the way. That was good. Now I wouldn't have dozens of children questioning me.

I would only have one.

How much had Edward seen? Everything, I was certain. How could he have not?

But that, for once, wasn't my biggest concern right now.

Edward was alive and conscious, but was he alright? I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I had ever hurt him.

And my body felt so hard and solid to humans, so surely when he had smashed his head to my shoulder, it had felt like smashing his head into a rock.

"Edward!" I exclaimed, daring not to move his warm body an inch. "Are you alright?"

Before he got a chance to answer, a rush of people came by to the scene of the accident. Some went to aid the van driver, and others to aid Edward and me.

"I've got 911 on the phone!" One informed us.

"Somebody get Mr. Stanley!" Another ordered.

Edward took a deep breath. "I'm fine," he answered, not sounding completely sure. "How did you..." He questioned me, trying to sit up. He cringed, sinking back on to my shoulder. I helped him lower himself with my arm so he would not injure his head any further. He was now sitting on the ground next to me, his head, neck, and shoulders cradled between my arm and shoulder.

"Don't move," I instructed, panicked. "Stay still."

"Bella..." Edward stammered again. "How did you stop the van..."

But his voice was tuned out by the sound of sirens. Two ambulances and a police car were turning down Jessica's street.

I sighed a breath of relief, despite the burning pain in my throat. Edward would get medical care. That's all that mattered to me at the moment.

"Bella?" Edward questioned me again, expecting me to answer.

This boy was incredible! No matter what kind of situation he was in, whether it was one where had nearly escaped death or not, he was still determined to figure out my secret. There was absolutely no stopping him.

"I'll explain later," I mumbled into his ear, which was a shocking two inches from my face. I could breathe in his scent...floral somehow...

And my self-hatred increased another notch.

But I didn't have time to think of that right now. My only goal at the moment was to get Edward safely to a hospital. Anything else I could deal with later. Procrastinating seemed to be my only option these days. It would only be a matter of time when everything fell apart. A matter of time, indeed.

"Edward! Edward!" A man's voice called. The man I recognized to be Charlie Masen, the police chief of Forks and Edward's father. His thoughts were incoherent with panic.

Medics rushed behind Mr. Masen, armed with a gurney.

"He hit his head pretty hard on the concrete," I informed them as they gently lifted Edward out of my arms and onto the bed with wheels.

"Are you alright?" One of the medics asked me, prepared to strap me to one of the gurneys as well.

I nodded. "I'm fine. I merely pushed Edward out of the way. I wasn't hurt."

The medic nodded, trusting me. "Alright."

Forks Hospital looked the same as it did several weeks ago, when I had come to bid my father goodbye. But this time was completely different. This time, I was sick with worry rather than guilt.

I hastily walked to my father's office, and stepped in, shutting the door behind me.

Carlisle was just working on some paperwork. He looked up when he saw me.

"Bella?" He questioned me. What's wrong? He had sensed my panic immediately.

"Carlisle, there's been an accident." It all came out very rushed, but I remained quiet so no nosy human ears would overhear. I told him everything that happened; how Edward had acted as a danger magnet, practically pulling the van closer and closer towards us, begging for death.

"I almost exposed us Carlisle. Again. And...and I'm so worried he's hurt, because of me. Please. You have to help me." I was pleading now.

_Bella_...Carlisle thought, hesitantly. _You do realize that if you speak to this boy again, you'll have to tell him the truth. And if he can't be trusted, we'll have no choice but to leave._

A picture of a furious Rosalie appeared in his mind. I shuddered.

"I know." I had accepted that fact while I road alongside the driver in the ambulance on my way to the hospital. Edward could be trusted, there was no doubt in my mind about that. But he didn't deserve this. He deserved more than this. Much, much more.

Carlisle sighed. "I'll tend to him myself, to provide some reassurance for you."

"Thank you." He would never know how thankful I was towards him. I could never repay Carlisle for his undying compassion, not if I lived a million years.

He briskly walked out of the office with his clipboard in hand, prepared to examine Edward.

I wanted to follow him, but I needed to compose myself first. I sank down into Carlisle's desk chair, and rested my head in my hands.

Edward's bad luck was incomprehensible. He had almost died twice in less than two days. Not to mention the fact that a vampire had saved his life each time.

There seemed to be no other choice. I would have to tell him. He wouldn't leave me alone until I told him, anyway. The only way to avoid telling him was to leave, and I certainly wouldn't go that far again.

But I couldn't tell him this night. Not surrounded by doctors and nurses and half of the partiers in the waiting room. No, I would promise to tell him another time, and keep my promise, for once. I would tell him everything. The first time any of us had ever told a human the truth. This certainly would be a first.

How would he handle it? Would he scream, and run for his life?

A brief flashback appeared in my mind, an occurrence mere seconds before the accident.

_"Edward, Edward, what happened to 'it doesn't matter'?"_

_"Well, it doesn't. But I would still like to know. Bella, I've come up with a new theory. And I think that--"_

He thought that _what_?! A new theory? Had he guessed already? It would certainly save me a lot of explaining, in that case. Unless he guessed incorrectly.

There was only one way to find out, considering I couldn't read his mind.

I strode out of Carlisle's office, and into the emergency room.

Edward was sitting on a hospital bed, holding an ice pack to his head. Tyler, who had a brace attached to his arm and a bandage on his forehead.

"Bella," Edward breathed, sitting up straight as I entered.

I smiled a little. "Did Carlisle examine you?"

He nodded, and rolled his eyes. "I am absolutely fine. Coming here was unnecessary."

I chuckled. "Well, I'm glad you were alright."

"I'm really, really sorry, Bella," Tyler mumbled from the other bed. "I couldn't stop. I was out of control. Lucky you were there to pull Edward out of the way so fast."

I nodded. "I'm just glad nobody was injured severely."

"Yeah."

A doctor had just been coming up to Tyler to place another bandage on his cut. I hadn't even noticed the blood, not that it appealed to me in any way compared to Edward's.

I turned back to Edward, whose eyes were raised.

"About pushing me out of the way," he murmured, "you have some explaining to do."

I sighed, sitting next to him on the bed. "Later," I whispered so only he could hear. "_Later."_

He stared at me intensely. "Do you _promise_ to tell me the truth?"

I would never swear to anything more sincerely. "I promise."

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	6. A Possible Happy Ending

Chapter Five

"You're free to leave at any time, Edward," the nurse informed the bronze haired boy who would not stop staring at me questioningly.

He nodded. "Thank you," he murmured, without taking his eyes off of mine.

Truth be told, I wasn't planning breaking our gaze with each other's eyes anytime soon. It was as if his eyes were a magnet; my butterscotch eyes were attracted to his emerald green orbs.

He was expecting an explanation. He wanted the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

And it would change his current outlook on humanity.

How could I do that to him? How could I change everything he's ever known? I had no right. Just because I made too many clumsy mistakes didn't mean that Edward Masen had to suffer. He, of all humans, didn't deserve it.

But it was too late. I was trapped in the hypnotic beauty of his eyes and there was no way out.

Edward's father was in the waiting room, his thoughts practically unreadable with panic for his son. I was touched by Charlie Masen's love for him. Although he didn't express it often, Charlie would do anything for Edward.

About half of the party goers sat in the tiny waiting room with Chief Masen. Their worry for Edward was not as intense as my own. Theirs mostly consisted of concern—the second they were informed that Edward and Tyler hadn't _died_, the weight would be lifted off their shoulders as if it hadn't been there in the first place.

Now, I stood on the opposite side of the room from Edward in the busy emergency room, and his locked gaze with my own was suddenly and unfortunately broken. He turned his head away, and exited the ER.

I followed his scent in the hallway in the fastest human pace I could. He had already turned the hallway, his long legs having carried him there that quickly.

"Edward," I called out to him in a mutter. He heard.

He turned around, almost as if he hadn't noticed I was behind him.

"Bella."

I only needed one word in that tone of voice to know what he was talking about.

I sighed. "I will tell you. Everything. I promise. I _swear_."

He knit his eyebrows. "Well?" He encouraged.

I quickly shook my head. "Not tonight."

No, this was hardly the place. Surely Edward saw that.

"And why not?"

I sighed just a nurse strode down the hallway, glancing at us, and then kept walking.

"It's a little...crowded. Tomorrow. I promise."

He opened his mouth to protest, but then shut it quickly as several doctors walked down a hallway, heading to the emergency room.

"Alright. Tomorrow," he agreed.

I thought for a moment. Where would we have the conversation? Not a public place, obviously. But where could we go—alone—without having to take the risk of me killing Edward?

There was no place we could go without that risk. Even now, in the hospital hallway, where I stood not a foot away from Edward's body.

Obviously, I was about to make a snap decision. Otherwise Alice would have seen where I was taking him.

"Let's go on a walk tomorrow. In the woods," I suggested. An odd request, but the forest allowed us to get as far away from civilization as we could. Far away enough so no human would hear his screams as I spoke to him of my bloodlust, my immorality, my everlasting fate...

He didn't seem to think it was strange. "Alright. What time?"

"Is eight o'clock too early? I can pick you up if you want."

Edward's green eyes sparkled, even in the gloomy hospital when he was frustrated. "I'll see you at eight."

Eight o'clock had seemed like a long time, but I had lots to do to keep me busy that night. I avoided Rosalie completely. I valued my life too much to go into a one hundred foot radius of her. I spent the night in Edward's warm, little room instead, watching him sleep restlessly.

He spoke my name in his sleep several times, repeating it over and over.

That entire night, I didn't think about what I was about to do. I didn't think about the fact that that night would be Edward Masen's last night of normalcy. His last night of fearless rest. And I didn't think about the fact that I was about to end all of his calm, normal nights. I thought about what I would say to him, how I would position my words to form them into sentences. How I would explain things to him without scaring him.

I was wishfully thinking, that was for sure.

I loved Edward. That I couldn't question or deny. I loved him with every ounce of my never-ending life; so much that the force of it would probably break his delicate, mortal body.

And he had tried to convince me that he had feelings for me, too. But he could never. Not when I told him the truth. He could never love a monster.

But, even when I did tell him, I would still love him. No matter how much he screamed in horror. He would never know how much I would love him. Possibly, I loved him more than anyone had ever loved someone else in the history of the world. And I wasn't about to let my monstrous fate get in the way of that. I would never stop loving him. He just would never love me back.

The sky gradually transformed from a starless, pitch-black to a lighter shade of gray. Morning had arrived with a dominating power, as if it were teasing me that I had to ruin Edward's life today.

I dashed out of Edward's bedroom at six, as I noticed his father waking up in the bedroom across the hall.

I ran to my house, hoping that neither Carlisle nor Alice had told anyone what I was about to do. I changed my clothes, putting on a light gray sweater with a t-shirt underneath, and jeans.

My family had been going about their normal routines. Carlisle was at work, Jasper and Emmett were building a ridiculously huge house of cards in the living room, and Alice, Rose, and Esme were making plans to go shopping later that day.

It must have been difficult for Alice to tear herself away from her shopping plans, because she didn't come upstairs to help me get ready, thankfully.

I still had an hour and forty five minutes left. I read old books and watched sitcom reruns until it was time. A period of time less than two hours had never felt so long before. I was completely restless, and I fidgeted with the sleeve of my shirt, a rare thing for a vampire to do. After the books and television shows, I paced across my room. I counted down the minutes in my head, having nothing else to do.

Finally—_finally_—I got into my car, prepared to drive slowly to Edward's house. It was seven forty five, and I knew that if I drove quickly I would be early. No, I wanted to arrive exactly on time. So, for the first time since I could remember, I followed the speed limit, not driving any faster or slower. It took eight minutes to get through the three miles of forest that led up to my house, and I took the long way to the Masen's house, driving through neighbourhoods and longer roads.

Before I knew it, I was pulling into his driveway. My silver, shiny Volvo looked out of place parked behind Charlie Masen's police cruiser and Edward's rusted Chevy. I got out of the car, and apprehensively rang the doorbell at precisely eight o'clock.

After twenty seconds, Edward's scent hit me like a ton of bricks from the opposite end of the door. I heard him zip up his windbreaker before he swung open the door.

If it was possible for a vampire to get dizzy and faint, I would have.

I couldn't find the correct adjective to describe the bronze haired angel who stood before me. Handsome didn't cover it. Beautiful was an understatement.

He was wearing jeans and a black jacket. His hair was as wild and unruly as ever, and the monster in me loved it. His mouth was set in a calm expression, and his eyes were as green as ever, matching the shrubbery surrounding his home.

"Hello, Edward," I managed to sputter once I found my voice.

He smiled, his perfect teeth gleaming in the gloominess of the morning, "Good morning, Bella," he remarked.

I didn't hesitate. "Are you ready?"

He didn't hesitate either. "Yes. Let's go."

We slid into the car. I had made sure to turn the heat on right away, and I was thankful that I had driven around, giving the car a chance to warm up.

I pulled out of his driveway, trying to keep my eyes on the road rather than Edward.

"Care to tell me exactly where we're going?" He inquired when we turned the corner of his street.

Alright, so I didn't know precisely where I was headed with him. I knew that if we hiked far enough, we would reach some sunny patches of the forest. If I was going to tell him my secret, I wanted him to see the evidence, too.

"Well," I said, trying to make it sound like I knew where we were going, "I want to take us somewhere far away...where no one will find us." I regretted my choice of words instantly. How could he not be scared?

His expression remained calm. "Alright. In the forest, you said?"

I inhaled, my throat bursting into flames. Had I once almost killed him? Now here I was, mere inches away from the same boy, being able to resist. "Yes."

"How far, do you think?"

"Several miles," I smiled apologetically. I noted that he was wearing gym shoes, thankfully.

He shrugged. "That's no problem. It'll be good exercise," he chuckled.

Ah, so he was optimistic. "Yes," I agreed. Too bad the exercise wouldn't do anything for me. "How are you feeling?" I asked. It seemed hard to believe that the almost fateful accident had occurred last night. If I hadn't been there, Edward might not exist on this earth right now...I shuddered at the thought.

He rolled his eyes. "You sound like Charlie. How many times do I have to tell you I'm completely and utterly _fine_?" He questioned, exasperated.

I chuckled.

"Charlie is even going into work late today, too. He wanted to be home with me this morning in case I passed out or something, considering what happened last night. It's ridiculous, really."

"So that explains the police car still in the driveway," I thought out loud. "You didn't pass out or anything this morning, did you?" I teased.

He smiled. "No, of course not."

"And did your father have any issue with you coming with me today?"

Edward shook his head. "No. I didn't even tell him we were hiking. I just told him I was going out with you."

My grip tightened on the steering wheel. "He doesn't know you're with me?" I demanded, my laid back mood replaced by fear.

"No," he answered, confused.

I opened my mouth to chastise him, but no words came out.

We pulled up in front of the forest's edge, almost as if on cue. I parked the car at the side of the road, and we both got out.

"Let's get started," I said, calming my voice. There was no point in being angry now. There was nothing that could be done. At least now, I had a reason to bring Edward back.

We started to walk in the woods, over boulders and fallen tree trunks. The obstacles seemed to be no trouble for Edward, just as they weren't an issue for me.

We didn't talk much as we hiked. Occasionally we would comment on the rain-less weather or the biology test we had coming up. I learned more about Edward's experiences on the track team at his old Phoenix school.

The hike took us most of the morning and into the afternoon. I was relieved—and frightened when I saw a patch of sunlight not one hundred feet into the immense shrubbery. I knew only my eyes could see the brightness, for which I was thankful.

"Alright, Edward. I think that this may be a good place to stop," I suggested, trying to keep my tone even.

He nodded, wiping the drop of sweat from his forehead. He had taken off his windbreaker, revealing a white polo.

I hesitated for a moment, realizing all my planning earlier had been a wasted effort. I felt utterly unprepared, as if I was about to perform the main character in a play and had no idea what the lines were.

I sat helplessly down on the closest tree stump, and Edward sat next to me. A sudden gust of wind blew his scent in my direction, only reminding me of what I was about to tell him.

"Bella," Edward murmured before I had a chance to say a word. "I think I have a feeling...an idea...well...I have another theory."

I struggled to find my voice. "And..." I prompted.

He took a deep breath, his heart starting to speed up. "It's not just you," he explained. "It's your family, too. You all have the same pale skin and gold eyes."

There was an agonizing ten second pause.

"And that lead you to think..." I encouraged.

He took a deep breath. "And...after some research on the internet...it lead me to think that...that you're a...a vampire."

We were both silent. A bird chirped, and leaves blew in the wind. I could only focus on our breathing, and his heartbeat.

He knew. He knew everything. Where was the screaming?

Perhaps it was because I hadn't confirmed it yet.

But I couldn't locate my mouth.

Edward stared at me for the longest moment. "Bella?"

I took a deep breath. "Are you frightened?" I asked, my voice more intense then I intended it to be.

He shook his head. "No. I'm not. I could never be afraid of you, Bella."

I nodded, allowing that, but doubting it at the same time. There was no way he could not be afraid of me. If not now, then later.

I sighed, knowing exactly what was to be done next. I stood up, gesturing towards Edward to follow me. "Come on."

He stood up. "What are we doing, Bella?"

I started to walk towards the sunlight. "We're going to go in the sun. I have to show you something."

The leaves and twigs crunched under our feet as we silently made our way to the brightness. It took us a while since we were walking at Edward's human pace, but we eventually made our way through the shrubbery.

We had entered a clearing. The grass lay over the ground like a blanket, warm and inviting. Flowers dotted the meadow, and sunlight shone brightly, guaranteed to expose my secret. Perfect.

He was the first one to walk further into the meadow, but I hesitated. I knew it was too late to take everything back. He knew everything, now it was just a matter of explaining the details.

I peeled off my sweater before stepping into the light. I took a deep breath, and stepped out of the dark, cold shadows.

Edward's back was to me; he was admiring the beauty of the meadow.

I walked further in, taking unnecessary, slow steps.

Edward's heart rate suddenly sped up as he heard me walking behind him.

"Edward," I murmured, encouraging him to turn around.

He did, pivoting slowly; hesitantly. His breathing sped up, and then I knew he was afraid.

He was silent, seemingly speechless as he stared at me, my skin sparkling brighter than diamonds.

Now he would scream. He would run as fast as his long legs could carry him, out of the forest.

But miraculously, he didn't. He stared at me, his green eyes boring into my own, rather than the gleam of my arms, neck, and face.

I watched in horror as a crooked smile appeared on his face.

He was _smiling?!_

"Bella," he breathed, still seeming to be in awe. "You're..." he couldn't find the right word.

I sighed. My knees buckled and I sunk down into the grass. I curled up into a ball defensively, resting my head on my knees. I had never felt more ashamed in my entire existence then this moment. "_I'm a monster_," I muttered into my legs.

I felt a warm hand on my back, and with a sudden intake in breath I inhaled what felt like flames. My entire body cringed under his touch.

"I was going to say _beautiful_," he crooned, his voice like velvet in my ear.

I just shook my head in between my knees.

"Bella," he murmured soothingly, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

I held my breath. He was so close to me now, the closest a human had ever been to me before. Flames engulfed my throat, and the force of it made me lose my train of thought.

I was forced back into reality, however, when I felt heat under my chin. Edward was trying to lift my head up with his hand. Of course, it wouldn't work. It would be like trying to tear a stone sculpture apart. I stayed completely frozen, despite his attempts.

Besides the warmth radiating from Edward's human body, there was also something else. Care, almost. I could feel it with every gesture. His arm was wrapped around me securely; an embrace I could happily spend the rest of my existence in. I reluctantly lifted my head off my knees, trying to control the emotion on my face.

"There, now," he whispered, the crooked smile still present on his face.

If I had the ability to cry, I would be sobbing. I had been denying this fact for too long. I was lonely. I had been lonely for the past century. And despite the love and comfort I received from my parents and brothers and sisters, nothing could amount to the love and comfort, longing and hope that I felt now. It was almost relieving. But it would end. It had to some day. Edward wouldn't be with me for much longer. He would soon realize the monster I really was. I would soon \never speak to him again.

But for now, at this moment, I was content. No, content was an understatement. I was happy. I felt as if I for once had a reason on this earth, although I couldn't pinpoint exactly what that reason was. But it didn't matter.

"Edward," I muttered, my voice full of emotion. "I am a monster. _Please_," I pleaded. "Please understand that."

He shook his head, the smile disappearing. "No, Bella. You're not."

"I_ am_!" I protested a bit louder than I had intended. "I need you to see that."

"I won't," he refused. "You're _not_ a monster, Bella. You could never be a monster, even if you tried." The crooked smile came back.

Obviously, his mind was set. For now.

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose with my fingers, as I did when I was stressed. "Edward, listen to me. I've killed people before." I briefly had a flashback of my rebellious newborn stage, when all humans' blood was too irresistible. Not as irresistible, of course, as the blood of the one sitting next to me.

"And I drink blood," I continued, more ashamed now than ever. "How is that _not_ monstrous?!" I demanded.

Edward shook his head. "Bella, it doesn't matter to me. We've been through this, remember? I don't care what you are. _It doesn't matter_."

I whisked my head towards him, my hair flying into his face by accident. He was unfazed.

"I almost killed you," I admitted in a strong voice, probably scaring him for the first time. "That day in biology. Your scent...I almost couldn't resist. I came so close to...to killing you in that classroom full of children. If the bell hadn't rung just in time..." I shuddered at the memory, one that still horrified me constantly. Especially now as I explained it out loud.

"But you did resist," Edward reminded me, not one trace of fear in his voice. He sounded calm, and each word he spoke soothed me. He spoke amazingly calm about this, as if we were talking about the weather.

I turned my head away."But I almost didn't. I still have trouble keeping control when I'm around you. Even the thought of you makes my throat burn..." I admitted, disgusted with myself.

I didn't dare look at his face, but I'm sure his expression was horrified.

"Even right now?" He asked hesitantly, his body stiffening, but still calm.

I nodded. "Yes."

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

I had no choice other than to look at him in the eye now. Was he insane? "_You're_ sorry?" I laughed, agonized. "Edward, you've done nothing wrong." My voice was an octave higher with confusion.

He sighed. "I caused you pain. If I had known..." He shook his head.

My eyes were wide. "If you had known, you would have screamed and ran!" I exclaimed. "You should be screaming and running _now_!" My voice echoed throughout the forest.

A small smile appeared on his face, and he chuckled quietly. "Bella, we've been through this and through this."

I sighed. "Edward, I've never smelled blood sweeter than yours throughout my whole existence. I'm more of a danger to you than I am anyone else. I'm constantly resisting the urge to kill you, even now," I admitted. "That doesn't..._bother_ you?"

He shook his head. "No." His voice rang with sincerity. "I trust you."

I wanted to hit something, to scream. This was not the way things were supposed to work out. But the monster inside me was cheering in bliss.

"Don't," I murmured.

"Bella," Edward sighed. "You've saved me so many times. If being around me was really that..._hard_ for you...then why?"

My eyebrows knit. It was almost funny, in an agonizing way. He was so observant, yet the one thing he didn't notice was how much I loved him. How willing I was to do anything for him.

"Edward...you..." I stammered, having no idea how to position it to him. "You have become..._everything_...to me. You...I mean it isn't normal. Vampires aren't supposed to fall in love with humans. It goes against nature."

I had intended to look at his face for the briefest of seconds to see his reaction, but when I did, I was trapped. His green eyes were boring into mine, and there was no way to break our stare. A beautiful smile appeared on his face.

"You mean that you've...you've fallen in love with me?" His eyes were wide with hope.

This I had to laugh at. "How could you not have realized? Edward, at first...I...you were just any other human to me. But then in that classroom, you were different. Your scent was so...And your mind was silent...I couldn't hear it, and--"

"Wait, _what_? You couldn't hear my...what? What are you talking about?" His voice was purely curious, not afraid at all.

Shoot. I was getting carried away. I had forgotten to mention one of the biggest points in my life.

I sighed. "I suppose it's best if I start at the beginning." Yes, I would let the whole mind reading thing fall into place with the story of my existence.

Edward continued to stare at me, prepared to listen.

I inhaled a fiery breath. "I was born in New York City in 1901. My name was Isabella Marie Swan. My parents, Elizabeth and Phil, were strictly middle class. Phil was a banker and Renee stayed home everyday to raise me and my little brother, Patrick." I almost smiled, remembering the dim human memory of my little brother. The cute little boy who hadn't deserved to die so young...

"I lived a happy human life, although I don't remember it very well. Human memories fade after a while. I do remember bits and pieces, though. In the winter of 1918, when I was seventeen, my family was involved in an automobile accident. The car had skid across the ice and into a lamp pole. My whole family had been assumed dead, and we were brought to the morgue. My stepfather, Carlisle, had been working there as a doctor. Miraculously, he found me with my heart still beating. Of course, I was injured beyond healing. He acted upon loneliness, and changed me into a vampire. I can't imagine how hard it had been for him. Not many of our kind have the restraint to do it. It implies to have a lot of control. Biting into the flesh of a human is impossible for most of our kind to do without killing that human."

I paused to look at his expression, and of course, his face was completely calm.

I sighed, and continued. "About the mind reading, well, Carlisle and I figured that out a while after I had become a vampire, after I had passed the newborn stage. You see, when a person first becomes a vampire, they have a stage when resisting human blood is almost impossible. We all went through it, until we learned to control our thirst, with the help of Carlisle. He helped us learn to live o the blood of animals rather than humans. He wanted us to remain as 'normal' as possible. Anyways, after a few years when I had...calmed down a bit...we started to notice that I could hear what Carlisle and other humans were thinking. I would accidently respond to thoughts rather than spoken words."

I looked at Edward again, and he was nodding in comprehension.

"And, you said you couldn't read my mind...why is that, do you think?" Edward asked.

"Well, it's still a mystery. I'm thinking it's because you are just generally a...secretive person. I don't know. But your mind, for some reason, is shutting me out." It was a sorry explanation, but it was the only one I had.

"Hmm..." Edward mused. "Go on."

"Well, over the years, Carlisle brought my brother and sister, Emmett and Rosalie, into the family, along with his wife, Esme. Jasper and Alice eventually joined our family along the way, too. Well, I'm sure in your internet research--" I couldn't help but smile at the fact that Edward had learned about our mythical existence over the internet, "you learned that we obviously don't age. We are all frozen in the same age we were changed in. So, I'm stuck at seventeen forever."

Edward's eyebrows knitted. "Do you regret that Carlisle changed you?"

I had to think about that for a moment. Did I? "Well, at times, yes. I mean, of course I love my family, and I wouldn't give them up for the world, but the thing is...they all have their soul mates. I've always been alone. Sometimes I feel that I deserved to die in that car crash...because _dying_ would have been a lot easier than this fate that I've been destined to."

Edward grimaced at my words. But I couldn't help but be honest.

"I've spent the last century trying to accept this life. Some times are harder than others. I mean, sometimes...sometimes I feel so...so lonely." My voice surprisingly broke on the word _lonely._

Edward's face softened. I felt his grip tighten around me.

I gasped as he put his hand on my cheek. My face suddenly felt as if it was on fire. Edward's touch seemed natural, although I'm sure my cold skin felt completely abnormal on his palm.

"Bella," he murmured. "You don't have to be alone. You've led a difficult life. It seems that you've had to fend for yourself for...quite a while. I want to help you. I want to be there for you, to comfort you, to...to _love _you." Edward's eyes sparkled with a new, magnificent emotion.

I swallowed back tears that would never come. "I'm not right for you, Edward. Please, _please _understand that." My voice was weak.

He smirked. "Does it matter?" That was a rhetorical question.

Edward's face suddenly started to lean forward, his heart beating faster with every passing second. I knew exactly what was about to occur, and I stopped breathing mid-breath. His face was now just mere centimetres away.

His scent was strong, almost as intense and maddening as it had been in biology. His nose pressed to mine, and I snapped.

The scent had taken over my mind for the second time. His closeness was torturous. If he got any closer...he wouldn't stand a chance. All I needed to do was lean in, and the lasting temptation would be over within seconds...

Before I could stop myself, I was out of Edward's arms and on the other side of the meadow. He gasped at my sudden departure, and grasped at the air where I had once sat. I had flown out of his embrace at the last second, and in that same second I was ten feet away from him.

"I'm sorry, Bella..." he apologized for the second time.

I closed my eyes and shook my head. "Give me a moment, please."

I had to compose myself. If there was ever a time when I hated myself to the point where I thought I would burst, it was now. I had ruined such a perfect, beautiful moment by almost killing my savior. All because my resistance lay in shreds.

After a few deep breaths of fresh air, I opened my eyes and slowly started to walk back towards a worried looking Edward.

"Bella?" He murmured, not afraid, but concerned.

"I'm so sorry. _Dreadfully_ sorry." It was a pitiful apology—of course he deserved so much more than that.

"Don't be," he insisted, standing up and slowly making his way towards me. "I understand."

I couldn't argue with him. He seemed to understand.

"I was just...surprised. But I can control myself. I swear it."

He nodded. "I know. I trust you."

We were now standing in front of each other. I tilted my head up so I could look directly into his eyes.

The moment seemed to never end.

"I want to be close to you, Edward," I remarked. "I just don't know how to."

He smiled. "I think I have an idea."

He bent down to the meadow's floor, and lay down. He then gestured for me to come down, too. I knelt down, hesitant, but I couldn't resist his open arms. I nestled my head between his arm and his shoulder. Since I had somewhat of a warning and time to mentally prepare myself, I wasn't at risk of losing control at the moment. I turned my head to the side, and breathed in the side of his chest. Fires engulfed in my throat as usual, but it was tolerable.

Edward leaned his head down, and I felt his lips in my hair. If I had a heart, it would be pounding out of my chest.

I used to believe I wasn't going to heaven. My family and I had been destined to this hell-like fate, and heaven was forbidden to the immortal. But, lying here in Edward's arms was the only heaven I would ever need.

Minutes went by, silent minutes that ticked by quickly. I had never wanted to read Edward's mind more than I did at this moment. Was he really afraid? Would he tell anyone? He wouldn't, but there was still the possibility...And what was he thinking now? His heart was beating like a hummingbird's wings. Was he as insanely happy as I was at the moment?

Suddenly, as if we had both been pulled down from a great distance, Edward's stomach growled.

I burst out laughing, grateful for the bit of humor in the intense day.

Edward smirked. "Very funny." But then, after watching me laugh for a moment, he started to laugh, too.

When we had calmed ourselves, I reluctantly sat up and got on my feet. Edward followed my lead.

"I guess the day is coming to an end," I pointed out as I eyed the setting sun.

Edward nodded. "Yes."

I wondered if he felt as if this day could never end, just as I had.

I sighed. "Well, there's school tomorrow. I better make sure that you're home on time."

Edward smiled. "Oh, really, and how do you plan to do that? You and I both know very well that it will be dark in about an hour. We're probably going to get lost." He was being sarcastic, but I could hint a bit of concern in his voice too.

I smiled. "Don't worry. You'll be home in _plenty _of time," I ensured him. I was suddenly excited. I would run fast, so fast that Edward may actually be scared, for once.

I smiled, my intention to distract Edward working. I then swiftly put one of my arms under his knees and the other around his shoulders, picking him up off the ground.

"_WHAT THE_...!" He exclaimed, trying to wiggle out of my unbreakable hold. It did feel rather funny, carrying someone who was at least a foot taller than me, and a man. It normally was the other way around. But then again, there wasn't much normal about the two of us.

I started to walk towards the edge of the forest again, ignoring Edward's weak struggles to jump out of my arms.

_"Bella_, what do you think you're_ doing_?!" He demanded, his cheeks turning a brilliant red.

I laughed. "I'm going to show you how I get around."

And before he could protest, I broke off into a run, with Edward's warm body in my arms. He gasped, all the struggling forgotten. He childishly grasped my arms for support, as if he was afraid I was going to drop him. I laughed aloud.

Getting back to the Volvo only took about two minutes. When we reached the end of the woods, I set Edward back on his feet. He stumbled for a moment, and I grabbed his shoulder to help him regain his balance.

He then spun around to look at me, shock evident in his eyes.

"_Bella_!" He breathed, a hint of a smile in his voice.

I smiled. "Told you I would have you back on time."

He smiled, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "You're unbelievable."

I walked closer to him, smiling back. "I try."

He chuckled. "You succeed."

Edward held my gaze for a moment, and I was then certain that he was as unwilling to get back into the car as I was.

I felt his hand snake around my waist, pulling me closer to him.

"You would've been great on a track team, if Forks High School had one," he teased.

I laughed. "Yeah. _So much for keeping the secret_."

He chuckled. His hand reached to my face, and if I thought I had gotten used to the electrifying warmth, I had been mistaken.

"Bella," he murmured. "I'll always be here. For as long as you need me."

I wanted to say _forever._ I would need him forever. But I couldn't ask that much of him

I simply nodded.

My willpower was gone. It was if it never existed. His face was so close to mine, and my thirst had not overpowered my mind—a first. The only things that existed were Edward and I. We were the only forces I could focus on.

I was the one who leaned in this time, staring deeply into Edward's eyes as I did so. I went almost ridiculously slow, seeing if I could tolerate each added inch.

Eventually, I ran out of inches.

His lips were hot against my own. I heard his heart rate quicken as the kiss became more intense. Edward pulled me closer to him, and I didn't let my impossible strength stop him. I raised my arm out to lay my hand on his head, and I intertwined my fingers with his hair. He tasted just as he smelled. His breath was just as sweet.

I started the kiss, and I had to end it. Despite the incomprehensible bliss, and the longing desire to press my lips to his once again, my throat was completely engulfed in flames, so bad that I had to step away from him to catch my breath.

Edward seemed speechless.

After I composed myself again, I spoke up. "..._Wow..._" was the only word that came out of my mouth.

He chuckled. "You can say that again."

I took in another breath, before stepping closer to him again.

"I suppose I should really get you home now."

He nodded. "Alright." He reached his hand out, and I took it.

We were complete opposites, that much was utterly obvious. We weren't supposed to be together, and we shouldn't be. Rosalie would be furious, and I was inflicting a major risk on my family.

But I couldn't be without my soul mate. Yes, I was certain of this. Nothing in the world, not sunlight, or any other force that would possibly threaten us, would tear us apart. For the first time, I felt whole. Complete.

Maybe, just maybe, we could fight whatever came our way, together. Maybe together, Edward and I could share a happy ending.

Please, please, please, please x 1000 review!!!!!! It would make me happy :)


	7. Sunset

**Hey guys. Just wondering...if you happen to read this, could you pleeease review??!!! I only have like...six :( I want to know if this story is worth continuing, and I'll only keep going if I get reviews!!!**

Chapter Six

The drive from the forest back to Edward's house was very different from the drive before. There were no secrets and no awkwardness. It rained now, too. I held Edward's hand as I drove, thankful that my senses allowed me to pay less attention to the road and more attention to Edward.

As we drove in silence, I wondered if I should tell Edward how I spent my nights over the recent past few weeks. Would that be the straw the broke the camel's back? Would he finally see the real monster I was when I admit to stalking him? That I didn't know. Edward Masen constantly took me by surprise, so I couldn't ever expect anything specific with him.

It was dark out by the time we pulled up in front of his house. The porch lights were on, and Charlie's police cruiser was in the driveway.

"Well," I sighed, "here we are." I didn't want this day to end.

"Yeah," Edward muttered, but making no indication to get out of the car.

I stared into his green eyes until I thought my dead heart would suddenly burst to life again.

"Thank you, Edward," I murmured, taking his warm hand in both of mine.

He squint his eyes. "For what?"

Honestly, I couldn't pinpoint exactly what I was thanking him for. I had so much to be thankful for because of him, and it would take all night to name everything.

"For...for saving me." That seemed like a reasonable answer that covered the majority of my gratitude.

You chuckled. "Saving _you_? I think you have it the wrong way. I should really be thanking you. Not just for actually saving my life on many occasions, but for trusting me."

I hadn't noticed myself drifting closer to his glorious face with each word he spoke. "I trust you," I whispered.

Edward leaned his forehead against mine. I inhaled, his floral scent filling my nostrils and engulfing my throat in flames.

Our lips were inches apart, but of course, as usual, a strong force was threatening to keep us apart.

But it wasn't my bloodlust. It was Charlie Masen, peering through the plastic window blinds, wondering where his son was.

I laughed.

"What?" He questioned, his warm breath blowing onto my face.

"I think your dad is getting impatient," I informed Edward, gesturing towards the window with the crack in the blinds.

"Ah," he sighed, rolling his eyes.

I laughed again, running my hand through his hair. "Well, why don't you get inside? You've had a long day."

Edward's face fell. "I wish I didn't have to. I don't want to leave you yet..."

I smiled, seeing this to be a perfect opportunity. "Don't worry. You'll see me soon enough."

He sighed, exasperated. "_Another_ surprise?"

I shrugged, trying to keep the massive grin off my lips. "Maybe."

Edward's eyebrows rose. "_Okay_...well, I'll see you later," he murmured.

I almost expected him to lean in and kiss my lips, considering how close he was to me. But, in a gesture to not cause me a greater amount of pain, he sat up straighter and pressed his lips to my forehead.

I closed my eyes, and sighed when he pulled away.

"Goodbye, Bella," he murmured before reluctantly getting out of the car.

I watched as he walked up the driveway, the porch steps, and through the front door before I put my car in reverse. I wasn't about to go home. I had other plans. Instead, I drove to the next block, and parked on the street between two houses. This distance allowed me to hear everything that was going on in Edward's small, yellow kitchen as of right now, through Charlie's point of view.

_"Thanks for starting dinner, son. I'm beat," Charlie muttered as he flipped open the newspaper._

_Charlie turned his attention to his son, who was just taking out ingredients for spaghetti._

_"Sure, no problem, Dad," Edward remarked._

_"So where've you been all day?"_

_Edward didn't seem to hesitate in his answer. "Oh, I was out with Bella Cullen. We went for a hike."_

I smiled, glad that Edward didn't have to lie about everything like I often had to.

_"Hmm," Charlie mused, his thoughts wondering. "And so...you just walked all morning?"_

_Edward shrugged, pouring the box's contents of the raw pasta into the boiling water on the stove. "Yeah. It was fun. The trail we took was quite a sight."_

Yes, quite a sight indeed.

_"Hmm. That's...good." Charlie said._

Minutes passed by silently. From observing, I learned that both Edward and his father were both comfortable with silence, just as I was.

Edward finished making the pasta, and sat down with his father at the table. I impatiently waited for them to finish their dinner. The faster they finished, the sooner I could see Edward.

As much as I wanted to sit and watch Edward and Charlie eating, I knew that if I was going to spend the night at Edwards—whether he knew it or not-- I would have to return my car at home.

I switched on the engine and sped home, speeding through the darkness in my sleek, silver Volvo, practically blending in with the night.

I was home in less than five minutes. I parked in my spot in the garage, not bothering to greet my family members or read their minds. I'm sure they all had their opinions of the events that occurred between Edward and me today, and I honestly could wait until the next morning.

Running was refreshing. Of course it hadn't been as splendid as running with Edward's lithe, warm body in my arms; his heart beating ferociously, his green eyes wide open with shock...

No, nowhere _near_ as wonderful as that. But it did give me a minute to myself, with no thoughts to bother reading. Just me and my own thoughts, for once.

Today had certainly been a day for firsts. I had told Edward of my family's dark secret, something no member of my family had ever told a human. I had my first kiss, and had declared love with someone for the first time.

But what did the future bring? Of course, I couldn't imagine my existence without Edward Masen. He had become a dominant part of my life—like a piece of me that I couldn't live without. And Edward wouldn't last forever. Of course, changing him into one of the eternally damned was completely out of the question. I would never do that to someone I loved with all my existence and more.

Love had happened fast and strong, but the aftermath felt almost of...relief. Relief that I could talk freely about anything besides my parents, brothers, and sisters. Relief that I wasn't alone anymore. Relief that I could love and be loved in return, a love stronger than my family could provide, which had been incredibly strong to begin with.

By the time I had reached the Masen's house, their dinner was over with. I waited patiently in the cover of the greenery in the backyard as Edward helped his father with the dishes, said goodnight to him, and proceeded up the stairs. Since I didn't have the advantage of reading another person's mind to see what Edward was doing in his tiny bedroom, I listened intently. I heard him walking in the direction of his closet, and the sound of fabric being fumbled around. Of course, I didn't dare enter the room yet. I would pick a more suitable moment for my approach.

I waited for what seemed like hours. Edward walked in a human pace to the bathroom, where I heard the sound of running water and tooth brush bristles scrubbing. Edward then yelled goodnight to his father down the stairs, and proceeded to his bedroom. I heard the bed squeak as he sat upon it, and the opening of a paperback book. Ah, this was my cue.

In less than one instant, I flew from my hiding spot in the bushes to the sill of Edward's window, and in one swift motion, I pushed up the unlocked window. My entrance had been too quiet for Edward's human ears to notice. His scent sent flames straight to my throat, and I swallowed. I could do this. I could control myself. I scurried across the wooden floor, my body tense with anxiousness and anticipation.

Edward was sitting on top of his covers, reading a book in the dim light of his bedside lamp. He was wearing his usual boxers and t-shirt pajamas, and once again I was shocked by his beauty.

I sat down next to him with such swiftness that the bed didn't squeak or shake. I leaned over his shoulder in that same second, smiling as I rested my chin on his warm shoulder.

It was then when he jumped.

He threw his book across the room in the sudden surprise, letting out a shocked gasp. He then whisked his head around, and stared at me with startled, green eyes.

"_Bella_!" He exclaimed, a bit too loudly for this to be a secret meeting.

I stifled my giggles. "Hello, Edward."

He abruptly shot off the bed, standing up straight and tall. "What are you doing here?!"

I cringed. "_Shh! Shh! Charlie_!" I warned in a whisper. I flew over to the door and shut it, relieved that Charlie had been intently focused on the baseball game on television to notice Edward's booming voice.

"What are you doing...how in the...how did you _get_ in here?" Edward asked, his words stumbling.

"Through the window," I replied nonchalantly.

His expression was unreadable; I couldn't tell if he was horrified, disgusted, or flattered.

He squinted his eyes. "How often have you..." He wondered aloud.

I shrugged. "_Oh_...every night." I thought for a moment. What if he was disgusted? What was flattering about a girl watching a guy sleep at night? "I'll leave, if you want," I added, walking slowly towards the window.

"_No_, no," Edward whispered, stepping in front of me. "I don't want you to leave." He smiled sheepishly.

Well, that was a very good thing. "Watching you sleep is interesting," I explained, practically reading his mind by the questioning expression on his face. "You talk in your sleep."

The most beautiful shade of pink appearing on his pale cheeks. "Do I?" He inquired, although he seemed to know this fact already.

I nodded. "Yes. It's quite fascinating, really."

He smirked. "What do I usually say in my sleep?"

I pursed my lips, not wanting to embarrass him. Perhaps if I didn't cut to the chase at first."You say your father's name quite often, and your mother's. You miss Phoenix, and you don't like it here. Of course, I knew that from day one. But it was funny to hear you rant and rave about the rain and green unconsciously."

Edward arched one eyebrow. "Anything else?"

I then looked at my feet. "You said my name, sometimes."

Edward's heart fluttered in shock. "And how many times would _sometimes_ be?"

I shrugged, trying to hide the fact that if I were able to dream, every imaginary fantasy would be about him, and tried to hide the fact that I was glad he dreamt about me. "_Only_..._like_...dozens of times each night."

Edward threw his hand over his face in embarrassment, but to my relief, a muffled chuckle sounded through his mouth behind his hand. "Well that's just _great_," he muttered.

I laughed quietly, and walked up to him and wrapped my arm around his lithe shoulders. Without putting any of my own effort into the gesture, I led him to his small bed covered in the blue blanket. He sunk down into it, and I sat next to him; another first for me.

By now he had removed his hand from his face, but his heart still beat wildly. From that day on, I would never understand why my presence made Edward so anxious.

"So," he started, slowly but not uncomfortable. "What do you want to do?"

I smiled a little, and shrugged. "I don't know. What book were you just reading?"

He had been about to answer, but another silent thought seemed to have appeared in his mind, and he ignored my small-talk question. "Wait, don't you...I mean, aren't you tired? Shouldn't you be in your own house, asleep? I mean, of course I don't mind you here, at all, but--"

I smiled sheepishly. "I...don't sleep."

His face fell. _Finally_, a rational response!

"You don't?" He asked in disbelief.

I shook my head.

"...Oh," He breathed, and then smiled. I couldn't tell whether it was because he was trying to not make me feel uncomfortable, or because the thought really did repulse him and he was trying to hide it.

"So," I started. "What do you want to do?" It was funny that he had just as this same question moments ago, and how easily sidetracked we were.

"I want to know more about you. You don't mind if I ask a few more questions?"

I shook my head. "Of course not. Ask away."

He stared at me for a moment, and I could almost hear the wheels turning in his head.

"If you can read minds, what about your family? Can they?" He questioned.

I shook my head. "No, I'm the only one. But, I'm not the only one with a...an extra talent, I suppose you could call it. My sister, Alice, has premonitions. She can see the future, but it's very subjective. The future is constantly changing."

I paused to see his reaction.

Edward's face was intrigued; his eyebrows were scrunched together, his lips were pursed.

"Did...did Alice see me coming?" He asked after a moment.

I bit my lips, and then released it. "Well, _sort of_, in a way. She saw that I would someday...fall in love with you."

He smiled brilliantly, and if I my heart beat it would have been thudding viciously.

"Well," he murmured, pulling himself closer to me on the bed and wrapping his arm around my waist. I was suddenly intoxicated with his scent, but somehow I ignored it, for the thousandth time that day.

"I'm glad that _that _part of the future didn't change," he whispered. And with that, I allowed him to pull me down next to him on the bed, so both of our heads were rested next to each other on the pillow.

He kissed my forehead lovingly. "Go on," he prompted in a whisper.

I sighed in contentment. "...Jasper has a way of controlling emotions of both humans and vampires. He can feel whatever someone else is feeling, and cause them to feel the opposite, if he wishes to do so."

Edward nodded in comprehension. "Hmm," he mused.

"Anymore questions?" I asked.

He shrugged. "A few more. Maybe, one million, maybe two."

I laughed. "Well, only a few more tonight." I tapped the tip of his nose with my index finger. "You need to sleep."

He grinned. "Okay. Um, let me see...well, if Carlisle is able to work with...blood, at the hospital, then why is it so hard for...you?" His body tensed, as if he was afraid that he had offended me.

I smiled to show him that he hadn't. "I told you. Carlisle has much more self-control than any other vampire I've ever met. He's more than two hundred years older than me, so...I guess you could say he's had more time to practice his..._tolerance _for blood," I explained. "As for the rest of my family, it--"

"Than _any other_ vampire you've ever met?" Edward interrupted. "There are others?

I nodded. Introducing him into the vampire world seemed easy, although understanding it from his point of view seemed unimaginable. "Yes. There's a coven in Denali who follow our hunting style; they hunt animals as well. We visit them from time to time. And we've run into several nomads. As a matter of fact, I visited one not too long ago."

"Oh, when...when you were gone for that one time? When...when we first met?" His green eyes bore into mine, demanding answers.

"Yes. Her name is Scarlett. I met her a little over a half a century ago, and we're...friends, I guess. I went all the way to Chicago for the that week to stay with her."

Thinking of that week made me uncomfortable. I had loathed Edward Masen with every ounce of hate I had in me. I had absolutely no control over my bloodlust...

"Why didn't you stay with her? I mean, if you had hated me so much," Edward asked.

I sighed. "I couldn't stand to be away from my family. They all missed me, and my willpower crumbled after thousands of voicemails pleading me to return. And, who were you, anyway, to chase me from the place I wanted to be?" I replayed the words in my mind, realizing that hadn't come out right. I regretted the words immediately. "_No_, I meant, well...I didn't mean..." Oh, shoot.

He laughed. "_No_, no. I understand. You weren't about to let one insignificant little human to keep you and your family apart."

I smiled apologetically. "Well," I murmured, "you're not that insignificant little human anymore. You are the most significant thing in my life. Never forget that." I kissed his warm, soft cheek, inhaling the flames gladly.

His heart rate sped up, and I smiled, pleased that I could give him that reaction.

"...I won't," he whispered shakily, and I could feel his warm breath on my face.

"Anymore questions?" I asked after a moment.

"A couple."

I laughed. "Well, we have a while for me to answer them. Why don't you go to sleep? There's school tomorrow," I reminded him.

He sighed. "I'm not tired, really," Edward muttered.

"Try," I urged.

He smiled sheepishly. "I don't know if I can," he admitted. "Not with you here."

"I'll leave then," I suggested reluctantly, but I didn't dare move an inch from my spot on the bed until Edward confirmed it.

"_No_," he breathed. "No, don't go. I want you to stay, Bella."

"Alright." I murmured, relieved.

After a moment, he yawned.

I chuckled. "Not tired, eh?"

He closed his mouth mid-yawn. "No."

But I could hear his voice growing weaker with sleep.

I raised my eyebrows. "And I always thought you were a good liar," I shook my head. "Sleep, Edward."

"Bella..." He objected, but I could see his eyes growing heavier.

"I'll be here all night, I promise."

He sighed. "...Okay," he gave in, with another yawn.

I smiled, pleased.

I reached over and switched the lamp off on the nightstand. I then sat up and pulled the blue blanket out from underneath Edward, and tucked it around his warm, tall body.

He extended an arm, inviting me to snuggle into the side of his chest. It felt as if I belonged there.

"Sleep, now, Edward. I'll see you in the morning." I murmured.

"Goodnight, Bella." He whispered back, tiredness evident in his voice.

I listened as Edward's breathing became more even, and eventually in a relaxed pattern. In the dark, I could see his perfect face; his mouth set into a content expression, his eyes hidden behind pale lids.

His scent, too, was more intense, now that I wasn't distracted with talking to him. As much as my throat burned now, and although my craving for his blood hadn't subsided in the least bit, it seemed easier to handle now. More tolerable now, somehow. My reaction in the meadow this morning was inexcusable. I shouldn't have let my craving take over me. To think that I had nearly lost control and killed my beautiful miracle...

But now, I was completely, one hundred and ten percent decided that Edward Masen had to exist. I would tolerate my bloodlust for as long as I needed to; for the rest of Edward's life. Of course, when his life did end, so would mine. I would find some way—most likely I would fly to Italy and provoke the Volturri, a coven of vampires who acted as our populations "police," in a way. I wouldn't tell Edward, because I wouldn't want him to attempt to talk me out of it. Although, it wasn't certain that Edward would want me after a while, considering the fact that he would age and I wouldn't. He may want someone normal, who he can grow old with. Someone human. Of course, I would always be waiting in the wings for him, and when he did pass away, I would follow soon after, whether he still loved me or not.

It almost hurt to doubt his love for me so early, but how could I not? It should really be the opposite. He should have been frightened of me, not insisting that I lay in his arms so he could comfort me! It was unnatural. It was absurd. Edward obviously wasn't like any other human boy I'd ever encountered, but that didn't mean that he would get over me eventually, as many did. I shuddered at the thought of my miracle abruptly leaving me one day, and me, powerless to stop him. My supernatural strength didn't ensure my happiness. Of course I wanted Edward to be happy, and if that meant that he would be with another woman, then so be it. I wouldn't stand in his way, although I would never show how much it would kill me.

So, I couldn't count on this forever. Edward was much, much too good for me. He could never love me; a freak, a monster. Someone who craved his blood as much as his presence. He deserved so much more, much more than I could ever give him. I would always love him, but there was always the slight possibility that—

Edward sighed, rolling over in bed. "Bella," he murmured in his sleep. I arched my neck up so I could see his face that was now turned against me.

"Bella," he murmured again.

I'm here, I wanted to say. But I didn't dare wake him up.

"Bella..." He muttered unconsciously. "I love you, Bella."


End file.
